istorical  Juries, 
o.  23. 


-vz^ 

i 

fifcz,    /z^#^  - 


VISITS 


SARATOGA  BATTLE  -  GROUNDS 

1780-1880. 

With  an  Introduction  and  Notes. 


By  WILLIAM  L.  STONE, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  LIFE  AND  TIMES  OF  SIR  WILLIAM  JOHNSON,  BART.,";"  REVO- 
LUTIONARY LETTERS,"  PAUSCH'S   JOURNAL,"   "  BURGOYNE'S  CAMPAIGN 
AND   ST.  LEGER'S  EXPEDITION,"  "  MEMOIRS  OF  MRS.  AND  GEN. 
RIEDESEL,"  "HISTORY  OF  NEW  YORK  CITY,"  "LIFE  AND 
WRITINGS  OF  COL.WM.  L.  STONE,"  "  REMINISCENCES 
OF  SARATOGA  AND  BALLSTON,"  "  THE  STONE 
GENEALOGY,"  "THE  STARIN  GENE- 
ALOGY," ETC.,  ETC. 


"  There  is  a  charm  in  footing  slow, 

"  Across  a  silent  plain, 
''  Where  patriot  battle  has  been  fought. 

"  Where  glory  had  the  gain." —  KEATS. 


ALBANY,  N.   Y. 

JOEL    MUNSELL'S    SONS,    PUBLISHERS, 
1895. 


93677 


E 


gou.  gotm 

of  Wa^infltott,  g.  (^., 
the 
*.  game, 

of  lUw  ^[0rfe  (Kity, 
<Thi.$  ivciTh  i.s  affertionateli)  flftUfatftl  by  their  toother  in 

a  j.  x., 


DESCRIPTION   OF  THE   PHOTOGRAPH   WHICH    FORMS   THE 
FRONTISPIECE  OF  THIS  VOLUME. 


The  frontispiece  represents  the  ground  on  which  the  battles  of 
September  iQth  and  October  yth  were  fought,  as  seen  from  the 
door-yard  of  the  house  now  (1895)  owned  and  occupied  by  Mr. 
James  Walker,  one  mile  and  a-half  from  the  Hudson  river  look- 
ing East.  On  the  left,  is  "  Breymann's  Hill,"  on  which  was  the 
redoubt  at  the  extreme  right  wing  of  the  British  army,  before  the 
last  battle.  The  little  white  speck  seen  on  it  is  the  tablet  erected  by 
Gen.  J.  Watts  de  Peyster  on  the  spot  where  Arnold  was  wounded 
in  his  desperate  but  successful  attack  on  that  position.  The  line 
of  trees  toward  the  right  is  the  spot  where  Burgoyne  formed  his 
line  on  the  brow  of  the  elevated  plain  previous  to  the  battle  of 
the  igth  of  September.  Beyond  the  gap  and  between  the  line  of 
woods,  the  narrow  line  of  mist  is  the  Hudson  river;  while  the 
table-mountain  seen  in  the  distance,  is  "  Willard's  Mountain,"  so- 
called,  from  an  American  scout  of  that  name,  who  was  detailed 
to  watch  from  its  summit  the  movements  of  the  British  army  — 
displaying  signals  at  night  by  different  colored  lights.*  About 
fifteen  rods  south  from  where  the  observer  is  supposed  to  stand 
and  in  what  was  then,  and  is  now,  a  meadow,  is  the  place  where 
Gen.  Fraser  was  mortally  wounded  by  the  sharp-shooter  Murphy. 
It  is  on  the  west  side  of  the  Quaker  Springs  road  running  north 
and  south,  while  some  sixty  rods  south-east,  is  the  knoll  on 
which  occurred  the  hottest  of  the  fight  of  October  yth,  between 
the  British  Grenadiers  and  the  American  troops  under  Dearborn, 
Morgan,  Learned,  Poor  and  Cilly,  so  graphically  described  by 
Gen.  Wilkinson  in  his  "  Memoirs." 

*  See,  on  this  point,  as  well  as  for  much  valuable  information  about 
Schuyler  and  Gates,  Gen.  Ed.  F.  Bullard's  admirable  Centennial  Address 
at  Schuylerville,  N.  Y.,  in  1876.  This  address,  since  published  in  pam- 
phlet form,  should  be  in  the  hands  of  every  student  of  this  particular 
episode  of  our  Revolutionary  history. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

VISITS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  PERSONAGES 
GIVEN  IN  THIS  WORK: 

CHASTELLUX,  .  .  .  .  1780 

MRS.  DWIGHT,     .  .  .  .  .1791 

LlANCOURT,     .....  1795 

TIMOTHY  DWIGHT,        ....      1799 

SlLLIMAN,         .  .  .  .  .  1819 

THEODORE  DWIGHT,      ....  1820 

WIRT,            .           .           .           .           .  1821 
STANSBURY,        .           .           .           ;           .1821 

HOYT,            .....  1825 

WOODRUFF,        .....  1827 

STUART,         .           .           .           .           .  1828 

MATTOON,           .....  1835 

MRS.  SPURGEON,       ....  1879 

DE  PEYSTER,       .....  1880 

APPENDIX: 

I.  SCHUYLER'S  FAITHFUL  SPY. 

II.  GATES'  SCOUTS,  BRYAN,  HARDIN'S  ADVENTURE, 

ETC. 

III.  ANECDOTES  OF  BURGOYNE'S  CAMPAIGN. 

IV.  PRESENT  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  SARATOGA  BAT- 

TLE-GROUNDS. 

V.  MRS'.  WALWORTH'S  LETTER. 
VI.  THE    TABLETS    ON    THE    SARATOGA    BATTLE- 
GROUNDS. 

VII.  SKETCH  OF  JOTHAM  BEMUS. 
VIII.  GILES  B.  SLOCUM'S  LETTER. 


PREFACE. 


"  When  I  said  I  would  die  a  bachelor,"  says 
Benedick,  "  I  did  not  think  I  should  live  till  I  were 
married."  So,  when  I  said  in  the  Preface  to  my 
"  Burgoyne  Ballads"  that  it  would  probably  be  my 
last  book  on  this  subject,  I  did  not  think  I  should 
live  to  complete  another ;  afterwards,  ho_wever,  it 
occurred  to  me  that,  by  way  of  a  final  supplement 
to  my  "  Burgoyne  series,"  it  might  be  well  to  bring 
together,  in  a  collected  form,  the  different  visits 
which  have  been  made  to  the  Saratoga  Battle 
Grounds,  during  the  last  hundred  years,  by  dis- 
tinguished personages  at  home  and  abroad  —  culled 
from  books  which  now  are  either  extremely  rare, 
or,  at  least,  are  not  easily  accessible  to  the  general 
reader.  How  successful  I  have  been  in  this  effort 
the  perusers  of  this  volume  must  decide. 

If,  moreover,  it  should  be  asked,  "  Why  does  the 
author  devote  so  much  time  to  Burgoyne's  Campaign 
and  the  various  incidents  which  group  themselves 


io  Preface. 

around  this  portion  of  the  Revolutionary  history  ?," 
the  reply  is,  that  the  Battles  of  Saratoga,  leading  up 
to  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne,  were  the  turning  point 
in  the  success  or  the  failure  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution—  without  which,  the  French  alliance,  even 
with  the  exertions  of  Franklin,  would  never  have 
been  accomplished  —  an  event  that  alone  rendered 
the  Surrender  at  Yorktown,  and  the  consequent  inde- 
pendence of  the  Colonies  possible.  In  short,  the 
present  proud  position  of  the  United  States  among 
Nations  hinged  entirely  upon  this  episode  of  our 
country's  annals.  Nor  am  I  alone  in  this  estimate. 
Gen.  J.  Watts  de  Peyster  —  than  whom,  together 
with  Gen.  Horatio  Rogers, —  there  is  no  better  au- 
thority on  this  campaign,  says  :  "Gates,  termed  in 
sarcasm  the  '  Man  mid-wife,'  and  accidentally  pre- 
sent at  the  proper  moment — although  he  had  not 
superintended  the  progress  of  the  terrible  and  pro- 
tracted labor,  did  absolutely  play  the  part  of  an  ac- 
coucheur, and  ushered  into  being  a  new  Nation,  a 
NEW  WORLD."  Creasy,  the  eminent  historian,  also 
classes  "  Saratoga  "  as  the  "  Thirteenth  of  the  fifteen 
decisive  battles  of  the  world  from  Marathon  to 
Waterloo." 

My  thanks   are    due,    in  the  preparation   of   this 
work,  to  Mr.  John  J.  Dalgleish  of  Brankston  Grange, 


Preface.  1 1 

Scotland  —  whose  grandfather  served  under  Bur- 
goyne —  ;  Mr.  Frederick  Barnard  of  New  York  city  ; 
Hon.  Samuel  C.  Eastman  of  Concord,  N.  H.;  Hon. 
Daniel  B.  Pond  of  Woonsocket,  R.  I. ;  Benjamin  F. 
Stevens  of  Boston,  Mass.;  Hon.  Charles  S.  Lester  and 
Hon.  Winsor  B.  French  of  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.; 
Mr.  William  S.  Mersereau  of  Elizabeth,  N.  J.,  and 
Rev.  Dr.  Emery  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Smith  Ely  of  New- 
burgh,  N.  Y.  Nor  must  I  forget  to  acknowledge  my 
indebtedness  to  Mrs.  Ellen  Hardin  Walworth  of 
Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.,  for  the  use  of  the  fine 
photograph  of  the  "  Saratoga  Battle  Ground,"  which 
forms  the  frontispiece  of  this  volume  ;  *  and,  also,  to 
Mr.  Frank  S.  Hull  of  Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  for  the 
picture  of  a  Brunswick,  "Jack-boot,"  which  will  be 
found  in  the  "  Introduction." 

WILLIAM  L.  STONE. 
Mr.  VERNON,  N.  Y.,  January  \st.,  1895. 

*  For  a  detailed  description  of  this  frontispiece,  see 
the  page  immediately  preceding  the  Table  of  Con- 
tents. 


£»2£§££§£? 

/—~>sf$\/ — v^  <£-./ — ^-^Kjv 


/-,^r^>-^r^ 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  disastrous  result  of  the  campaign  of  General 
Burgoyne  is  to  be  ascribed  more  to  his  own  blunders 
and  incompetency  than  to  any  special  military  skill 
on  the  part  of  his  conqueror.  In  December,  1776, 
Burgoyne  concerted  with  the  British  ministry  a  plan 
for  the  campaign  of  1777.  A  large  force  was  to  pro- 
ceed toward  Albany  from  Canada,  by  way  of  the 
lakes,  while  another  large  body  advanced  up  the 
Hudson,  in  order  to  cut  off  communication  between 
the  northern  and  southern  colonies,  in  the  expecta- 
tion that  each  section,  being  left  to  itself,  would  be 
subdued  with  little  difficulty.  At  the  same  time  Col. 
St.  Leger  was  to  make  a  diversion  on  the  Mohawk 
river.  In  pursuance  of  this  plan,  in  the  early  sum- 
mer of  1777  he  sailed  down  Lake  Champlain,  forced 
the  evacuation  of  Crown  Point  and  Ticonderoga,  de- 
feated the  Americans  badly  at  Hubbardton,  and 
took  possession  of  Skenesborough  (Whitehall).* 

*  The  royal  army  was  divided  into  three  brigades, 
under  Major-General  Phillips,  of  the  Royal  Artillery, 


1 4  Introduction. 

Up  to  this  time  all  had  gone  well.  From  that 
point,  however,  his  fortunes  began  to  wane.  His 
true  course  would  have  been  to  return  to  Ticonde- 
roga,  and  thence  up  Lake  George  to  the  fort  of  that 
name,  whence  there  was  a  direct  road  to  Fort  Ed- 
ward ;  instead  of  which  he  determined  to  push  on  to 
Fort  Ann  and  Fort  Edward,  over  roads  that  were 
blocked  up  by  the  enemy  —  a  course  which  gave 
Schuyler  ample  time  to  gather  the  yeomanry  to- 
gether and  effectually  oppose  his  progress.  Nor 
was  this  all.  On  his  arrival  at  Fort  Ann,  instead  of 
advancing  at  once  on  Fort  Edward,  and  thence  to 
Albany  before  Schuyler  had  time  to  concentrate  his 
forces  in  his  front,  he  sent  a  detachment  of  Brims- 
wickers,  under  Colonel  Baum,  to  Bennington,  to  sur- 
prise and  capture  some  stores  which  he  had  heard 
were  at  that  place.  General  Riedesel,  who  com- 
manded the  German  allies,  was  totally  opposed  to 
this  diversion,  but  being  overruled,  he  proposed  that 
Baum  should  march  in  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  by 
way  of  Castleton,  toward  the  Connecticut  river. 
Had  this  plan  been  adopted,  the  probability  is  that 

and  Brigadier-Generals  Fraser  and  Hamilton.  The 
German  troops,  consisting  of  one  regiment  of  Hes- 
sian Rifles,  a  corps  of  dismounted  dragoons,  and  a 
mixed  force  of  Brunswickers,  of  which  100  were 
artillerists,  were  distributed  among  the  three  bri- 
gades, with  one  corps  of  reserve  under  Colonel 
Breyman,  and  were  commanded  by  Major-General 
Riedesel. 


KOOT  OF  ONE  OF  RIEDESEL'S  DRAGOONS- 

At  Washington's  Headquarters, 

Newburgh,  N.  Y. 


Introduction.  1 5 

the  Americans  would  not  have  had  time  to  prevent 
Baum  from  falling  unawares  upon  their  rear.  Bur- 
goyne,  however,  against  the  advice  of  Riedesel  and 
Phillips,  insisted  obstinately  on  his  plan,  which  was 
that  Baum  should  cross  the  Battenkil  opposite  Sara- 
toga, move  down  the  Connecticut  river  in  a  direct 
line  to  Bennington,  destroy  the  magazine  at  that 
place,  and  mount  the  Brunswick  dragoons,  who  were 
destined  to  form  part  of  the  expedition.  In  this  lat- 
ter order  a  fatal  blunder  was  committed,  by  employ- 
ing troops  the  most  awkward  and  heavy  in  an  enter- 
prise where  every  thing  depended  on  the  greatest 
celerity  of  movement,  while  the  rangers,  who  were 
lightly  equipped,  were  left  behind. 

Let  us  look  for  a  moment  at  a  fully  equipped 
Brunswick  dragoon  as  he  appeared  at  this  time.  He 
wore  high  and  heavy  jack-boots,  with  large,  long 
spurs,  stout  and  stiff  leather  breeches,  gauntlets 
reaching  high  up  upon  his  arms,  and  a  hat  with  a 
huge  tuft  of  ornamental  feathers.*  On  his  side  he 

*  The  weight  of  the  Brunswick  Jack-Boot  —  a  re- 
presentation of  which  is  here  given  —  is  5^  Ibs.  or  1 1 
Ibs.  for  the  pair  —  when,  moreover,  it  is  observed  that 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  top  has  rotted  away,  the 
boot,  when  new,  must  have  weighed  fully  6  Ibs.  or  12 
Ibs.  for  the  pair  ! !  And  this  only  for  the  boots  —  to 
say  nothing  of  the  dragoon's  other  equipments.  The 
man,  who  wore  this  boot,  was  captured  at  Saratoga. 
He  travelled  on  foot  with  other  prisoners  on  his  way  to 
Easton,  Pa.,  as  far  as  Middlehope  (North  Newburgh), 
where  he  exchanged  his  boots  for  a  lighter  pair. 


1 6  Introduction. 

trailed  a  tremendous  broadsword,  a  short  but  clumsy 
carbine  was  slung  over  his  shoulder,  and  down  his 
back,  like  a  Chinese  mandarin's,  dangled  a  long  queue. 
Such  were  the  troops  sent  out  by  the  British  general 
on  a  service  requiring  the  lightest  of  light  skirmishers. 
The  latter,  however,  did  not  err  from  ignorance. 
From  the  beginning  of  the  campaign  the  English 
officers  had  ridiculed  these  unwieldy  troopers,  who 
strolled  about  the  camp  with  their  heavy  sabres  drag- 
ging on  the  ground,  saying  (which  was  a  fact)  that 
the  hat  and  sword  of  one  of  them  were  as  heavy  as 
the  whole  of  an  English  private's  equipment.  But, 
as  if  this  was  not  sufficient,  these  light  dragoons  were 
still  further  cumbered  by  being  obliged  to  carry  flour 
and  drive  a  herd  of  cattle  before  them  for  their  main- 
tenance on  the  way. 

The  result  may  be  easily  foreseen.  By  a  rapid 
movement  of  the  Americans  under  Stark,  Baum  was 
cut  off  from  his  English  allies,  who  fled  and  left  him 
to  fight  alone,  with  his  awkwardly  equipped  squad,  an 
enemy  far  superior  in  numbers.  After  maintaining 
his  ground  for  more  than  two  hours,  his  ammunition 
gave  out,  and  being  wounded  in  the  abdomen  by 
a  bullet,  he  was  forced  to  surrender,  having  lost 
in  killed  360  men  out  of  400.  Yet,  even  with  all 
these  disadvantages,  it  is  doubtful  upon  whose  ban- 
ners victory  would  have  perched,  had  not  Burgoyne, 
though  having  ample  time,  failed  to  support  Baum  by 
keeping  Breyman's  division  too  far  behind. 


Introduction.  1 7 

With  the  failure  of  this  expedition  against  Ben- 
nington,  the  first  lightning  flashed  from  Burgoyne's 
hitherto  serene  sky.  The  soldiers  as  well  as  their 
officers  had  set  out  on  this  campaign  with  cheerful 
hearts,  for,  the  campaign  successfully  brought  to  a 
close,  all  must  end  in  the  triumph  of  the  royal  arms. 
"  Britons  never  go  back,"  Burgoyne  exultantly  had 
said,  as  the  flotilla  passed  down  Lake  Champlain. 
Now,  however,  the  Indians  deserted  by  scores,  and 
an  almost  general  consternation  and  languor  took  the 
place  of  the  former  confidence  and  buoyancy.* 

On  the  1 3th  of  September  the  royal  army  crossed 
the  Hudson  by  a  bridge  of  boats,  with  the  design  of 
forming  a  junction  with  Sir  Henry  Clinton  at  Albany. 
It  encamped  on  the  heights  and  plains  of  Saratoga, 
near  the  mouth  of  Fish  Creek  (the  present  site  of 
Schuylerville),  within  a  few  miles  of  the  northern 
division  of  the  Continentals  under  Gates ;  Burgoyne 
selecting  General  Schuyler's  house  as  his  head- 
quarters. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Edward,  Schuyler  had 
fallen  down  the  river,  first  to  Stillwater,  and  then  to 
Van  Schaick's  Island,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mohawk,  f 

*  For  a  most  romantic  incident,  said  to  have  been 
the  cause  of  this  desertion  of  Burgoyne's  Indian 
allies,  see  "  The  Lost  Child,"  in  "  Tales  of  the  Garden 
of  Kosciusko,"  by  Samuel  L.  Knapp,  New  York, 
1834. 

fThe  entrenchments  which  Schuyler  threw  up  on 
this  island,  in  anticipation  of  Burgoyne's  advance, 

3 


1 8  Introduction. 

On  the  igth  of  August,  however,  he  was  superseded 
by  Gates,  who,  on  the  8th  of  September,  advanced 
with  6000  men  to  Bemus  Heights,  three  miles  north 
of  Stillwater.  These  heights  were  at  once  fortified, 
under  the  direction  of  Kosciusko,  by  a  line  of  intrench- 
ments  running  from  west  to  east,  half  a  mile  in 
length,  and  terminating  on  the  east  end  on  the  west 
side  of  the  intervale.  The  right  wing  occupied  a  hill 
nearest  the  river,  and  was  protected  in  front  by  a  wide 
marshy  ravine,  and  behind  by  an  abatis.  The  left 
wing,  commanded  by  Arnold  (who,  after  the  defeat 
of  St.  Leger  at  Fort  Stanwix,  had  joined  Gates),  ex- 
tended on  to  a  height  three-quarters  of  a  mile  further 
north,  its  left  flank  being  also  protected  on  the  hill- 
side by  fallen  trees.  Gates's  head-quarters  were  in 
the  centre,  a  little  south  of  what  was  then  and  is 
now  known  as  the  "  Neilson  Farm." 

On  the  1 5th,  Burgoyne  gave  the  order  to  advance 
in  search  of  the  enemy,  supposed  to  be  somewhere  in 
the  forest ;  for,  strange  as  it  appears,  that  general  had 
no  knowledge  of  the  position  of  the  Americans,  nor 
had  he  taken  any  pains  to  inform  himself  upon  this 
vital  point.  The  army,  in  gala  dress,  with  its  left 
wing  resting  on  the  Hudson,  set  off  on  its  march,  with 
drums  beating,  colors  flying,  and  their  arms  glisten- 
ing in  the  sunshine  of  that  lovely  autumn  day.  "  It 
was  a  superb  spectacle,"  says  an  eye-witness,  "  re- 
are  yet  (1895)  plainly  to  be  seen,  even  by  the 
traveller  on  the  Troy  &  Saratoga  R.  R. 


Introduction.  \  9 

minding  one  of  a  grand  parade  in  the  midst  of  peace." 
That  night  they  pitched  their  camp  at  "  Dovogat's 
House"  (Coveville).  On  the  following  morning  the 
enemy's  drums  were  heard  calling  the  men  to  arms  ; 
but,  although  in  such  close  proximity,  the  invading 
army  knew  not  whence  the  sounds  came,  nor  in  what 
strength  he  was  posted.  Indeed,  it  does  not  seem 
that  up  to  this  time  Burgoyne  had  sent  off  patrols  or 
scouting  parties  to  discover  the  situation  of  the  enemy. 
Now,  however,  he  mounted  his  horse  to  attend  to  it 
himself,  taking  with  him  a  strong  body-guard,  consist- 
ing of  the  four  regiments  of  Specht  and  Hesse-Hanau, 
with  six  heavy  pieces  of  ordnance,  and  200  workmen 
to  construct  bridges  and  roads.  This  was  the  party 
with  which  he  proposed  "  to  scout,  and,  if  occasion 
served  "  —  these  were  his  words  —  "to  attack  the  reb- 
els on  the  spot."  This  remarkable  scouting  party 
moved  with  such  celerity  as  to  accomplish  two  and  a 
half  miles  the  first  day,  when,  in  the  evening,  the  en- 
tire army,  which  had  followed  on,  encamped  at 
"Sword's  House,"  within  five  miles  of  the  American 
lines. 

The  night  of  the  i8th  passed  quietly,  the  patrols 
that  had  finally  been  sent  out  having  returned  with- 
out discovering  any  trace  of  the  enemy.  Indeed,  it 
is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  throughout  the  entire  cam- 
paign Burgoyne  was  never  able  to  obtain  accurate 
knowledge  either  of  the  position  of  the  Americans  or 
of  their  movements,  whereas  all  his  own  plans  were 
publicly  known  long  before  they  were  officially  given 


2O  Introduction. 

out  in  orders.  "  I  observe,"  writes  Baroness  Riedesel, 
at  this  time,  "  that  the  wives  of  the  officers  are  before- 
hand informed  of  all  the  military  plans.  Thus  the 
Americans  anticipate  all  our  movements,  and  expect 
us  wherever  we  arrive  ;  and  this,  of  course,  injures 
our  affairs." 

On  the  morning  of  the  iQth  a  further  advance  was 
ordered  —  an  advance  which  prudence  dictated  should 
be  made  with  the  greatest  caution.  The  army  was 
now  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  an  alert  and  thor- 
oughly aroused  enemy,  of  whose  strength  it  knew  as 
little  as  of  the  country.  Notwithstanding  this,  the 
army  not  only  was  divided  into  three  columns,  march- 
ing half  a  mile  apart,  but  at  eleven  o'clock  a  cannon, 
fired  as  a  signal  for  the  start,  informed  the  Americans 
of  the  position  and  forward  movement  of  the  British. 

The  left  column,  which  followed  the  river  road, 
consisted  of  four  German  regiments  and  the  Forty- 
seventh  British,  the  latter  covering  the  bateaux. 
These  troops,  together  with  all  the  heavy  artillery 
and  baggage,  were  under  the  command  of  General 
Riedesel.  The  right  column,  made  up  of  the  English 
grenadiers  and  light  infantry,  the  Twenty-fourth 
Brunswick  Grenadiers,  and  the  light  battalion,  with 
eight  6-pounders,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Breyman, 
were  led  by  General  Fraser,  and  followed  the  present 
road  from  Quaker  Springs  to  Stillwater  on  the 
Heights.  The  centre  column,  also  on  the  Heights, 
and  midway  between  the  left  and  right  wings,  con- 
sisted of  the  Ninth,  Twentieth,  Twenty-first,  and 


Introduction.  2 1 

Sixty-second  regiments,  with  six  6-pounders,  and  was 
led  by  Burgoyne  in  person.  The  front  and  flanks  of 
the  center  and  right  columns  were  protected  by  Cana- 
dians, Provincials,  and  Indians.  The  march  was 
exceedingly  tedious,  as  frequently  new  bridges  had 
to  be  built  and  trees  cut  down  and  removed. 

About  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  Colonel  Mor- 
gan, who,  with  his  sharp-shooters,  had  been  detached 
to  watch  the  movements  of  the  British  and  harass 
them,  owing  to  the  dense  woods,  unexpectedly  fell  in 
in  with  the  centre  column  and  sharply  attacked  it. 
Whereupon  Eraser,  on  the  right,  wheeled  his  troops, 
and  coming  up,  forced  Morgan  to  give  way.  A  regi- 
ment being  ordered  to  the  assistance  of  the  latter, 
whose  riflemen  had  been  sadly  scattered  by  the  vigor 
of  the  attack,  the  battle  was  renewed  with  spirit. 
By  four  o'clock  the  action  had  become  general, 
Arnold,  with  nine  Continental  regiments  and  Mor- 
gan's corps,  having  completely  engaged  the  whole 
force  of  Burgoyne  and  Fraser.  The  contest,  acci- 
dentally begun  in  the  first  instance,  now  assumed  the 
most  obstinate  and  determined  character,  the  sold- 
iers being  often  engaged  hand  to  hand.  The  ground, 
being  mostly  covered  with  woods,  embarrassed  the 
British  in  the  use  of  their  field  artillery,  while  it  gave 
a  corresponding  advantage  to  Morgan's  sharp-shoot- 
ers. The  artillery  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Ameri- 
cans at  every  alternate  discharge,  but  the  latter  could 
neither  turn  it  upon  the  enemy  nor  bring  it  off.  The 
woods  prevented  the  last,  and  the  want  of  a  match  the 


2  2  Introduction. 

first,  as  the  linstock  was  invariably  carried  away,  and 
the  rapidity  of  the  transitions  did  not  allow  the 
Americans  time  to  provide  one. 

Meanwhile  General  Riedesel,  who  had  kept  abreast 
of  the  other  two  columns,  hearing  the  firing,  on  his 
own  responsibility;  and  guided  only  by  the  sound  of 
the  cannon,  hastened,  at  five  o'clock,  with  two  regi- 
ments through  the  woods  to  the  relief  of  his  com- 
mander-in-chief.  When  he  arrived  on  the  scene,  the 
Americans  were  posted  on  a  corner  of  the  woods, 
having  on  their  right  flank  a  deep,  muddy  ravine,  the 
bank  of  which  had  been  rendered  inaccessible  by 
stones  and  underbrush.  In  front  of  this  corner  of 
the  forest,  and  entirely  surrounded  by  dense  woods, 
was  a  vacant  space,  on  which  the  English  were  drawn 
up  in  line,  The  struggle  was  for  the  possession  of 
this  clearing,  known  then,  as  it  is  to  this  day,  as 
"  Freeman's  Farm."  It  had  already  been  in  posses- 
sion of  both  parties,  and  now  served  as  a  support  for 
the  left  flank  of  the  English  right  wing,  the  right 
flank  being  covered  by  the  corps  of  Fraser  and  Brey- 
man.  The  Continentals  had  for  the  sixth  time  hurled 
fresh  troops  against  the  three  British  regiments,  the 
Twentieth,  Twenty-first  and  Sixty-second.  The  guns 
on  this  wing  were  already  silenced,  there  being  no 
more  ammunition,  and  the  artillery-men  having  been 
either  killed  or  wounded.  These  three  regiments  had 
lost  half  their  men,  and  now  formed  a  small  band 
surrounded  by  heaps  of  the  dead  and  dying.  The 
timely  arrival  of  the  German  general  alone  saved  the 


Introduction.  23 

army  of  Burgoyne  from  total  rout.  Charging  on 
the  double-quick  with  fixed  bayonets,  he  repelled 
the  American  ;  and  Fraser  and  Breyman  were  pre- 
paring to  follow  up  the  advantage,  when  they  were 
recalled  by  Burgoyne  and  reluctantly  forced  to  retreat. 
General  Schuyler,  referring  to  this  in  his  diary,  says  : 
"  Had  it  not  been  for  this  order  of  the  British  gene- 
ral,  the  Americans  would  have  been,  if  not  defeated, 
at  least  held  in  such  check  as  to  have  made  it  a  drawn 
battle,  and  an  oppurtunity  afforded  the  British  to  col- 
lect much  provision,  of  which  he  \_sic\  stood  sorely  in 
need."  The  British  officers  also  shared  the  same 
opinion.  Fraser  and  Riedesel  severely  criticised  the 
order,  telling  its  author  in  plain  terms  that  "he  did 
not  know  how  to  avail  himself  of  his  advantages." 
Nor  was  this  feeling  confined  to  the  officers.  The 
privates  gave  vent  to  their  dissatisfaction  against  their 
general  in  loud  expressions  of  scorn  as  he  rode  down 
the  line.  This  reaction  was  the  more  striking  be- 
cause they  had  placed  the  utmost  confidence  in  his 
capacity  at  the  beginning  of  the  expedition.  They 
were,  also,  still  more  confirmed  in  their  dislike  by 
the  general  belief  that  he  was  addicted  to  drinking. 
Night  put  an  end  to  the  conflict.  The  Americans 
withdrew  within  their  lines,  and  the  British  and  Ger- 
man forces  bivouacked  on  the  battle-field,  the  Bruns. 
wickers  composing  in  part  the  right  wing.  Both 
parties  claimed  the  victory  ;  yet  as  the  intention  of 
the  Americans  was  not  to  advance,  but  to  maintain 
their  position,  and  that  of  the  English  not  to  main- 


24  Introduction. 

tain  theirs,  but  to  gain  ground,  it  is  easy  to  see  which 
had  the  advantage  of  the  day,  The  loss  of  the 
former  was  between  300  and  400,  including  Colonels 
Adams  and  Coburn,  and  of  the  latter  from  600  to 
1000,  Captain  Jones,  of  the  artillery,  an  officer  of 
great  merit,  being  among  the  killed. 

General  Burgoyne  resolved  after  the  engagement 
to  advance  no  further  for  the  present,  but  to  await 
the  arrival  at  Albany  of  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  who  had 
promised  to  attempt  the  ascent  of  the  Hudson  for 
his  relief.  Accordingly,  on  the  following  day  (the 
2Oth),  he  made  the  site  of  the  late  battle  his  ex- 
treme right,  and  extended  his  intrenchments  across 
the  high  ground  to  the  river.  For  the  defense  of  the 
right  wing,  a  redoubt  (known  as  the  "  Great  Re- 
doubt") was  thrown  up  in  the  late  battle-field,  near 
the  corner  of  the  woods  that  had  been  occupied  by 
the  Americans  during  the  action,  on  the  eastern  edge 
of  the  ravine.  The  defense  of  this  position  was  in- 
trusted to  the  corps  of  Eraser.  The  reserve  corps  of 
Breyman  was  posted  on  an  eminence  on  the  western 
side  of  the  ravine,  for  the  protection  of  the  right  flank 
of  Eraser's  division.  The  right  wing  of  the  English 
brigade  (Hamilton's)  was  placed  in  close  proximity  to 
the  left  wing  of  Eraser,  thus  extending  the  line  on  the 
left  to  the  river-bank  (Wilbur's  Basin),  where  were 
placed  the  hospitals  and  supply  trains.  The  entire  front 
was  protected  by  a  deep  muddy  ditch  running  900  paces 
in  front  of  the  outposts  of  the  left  wing.  This  ditch 
ran  in  a  curve  around  the  right  wing  of  the  English 


Introduction.  25 

brigade,  thereby  separating-  Eraser's  corps  from  the 
main  body.  General  Burgoyne  made  his  headquar- 
ters between  the  English  and  German  troops,  on  the 
heights  at  the  left  wing.  This  was  the  new  camp  at 
"  Freeman's  Farm." 

During  the  period  of  inaction  which  now  inter- 
vened, a  part  of  the  army,  says  the  private  journal 
of  one  of  the  German  officers,  was  so  near  its  an- 
tagonist that  "  we  could  hear  his  morning  and 
evening  guns,  his  drums,  and  other  noises  in  his 
camp  very  distinctly  ;  but  we  knew  not,  in  the  least, 
where  he  stood,  nor  how  he  was  posted,  much  less 
how  strong  he  was."  "  Undoubtedly,"  naively  adds 
the  journal/'  a  rare  case  in  such  a  situation." 

Meanwhile  the  work  of  fortifying  the  camp  was 
continued.  A  place  cfarmes  was  laid  out  in  front  of 
the  regiments,  and  fortified  with  heavy  batteries.  Dur- 
ing the  night  of  the  2ist,  considerable  shouting  was 
heard  in  the  American  camp.  This,  accompanied  by 
the  firing  of  cannon,  led  the  British  to  believe  that 
some  holiday  was  being  celebrated.  Again,  in  the 
night  of  the  23d,  more  noise  was  heard  in  the  same 
direction.  "  This  time,  however,"  says  the  journal  of 
another  officer,  "  it  may  have  proceeded  from  work- 
ing parties,  as  the  most  common  noise  was  the  rat- 
tling of  chains."  On  the  28th,  a  captured  cornet, 
who  had  been  allowed  by  Gates  to  return  to  the 
British  camp  for  five  days,  gave  an  explanation  of  the 
shouting  heard  on  the  night  of  the  2ist.  This  was 
that  General  Lincoln  had  attempted  to  surprise 
4 


26  Introduction. 

Ticonderoga,  and,  though  unsuccessful,  had  captured 
four  companies  of  the  Fifty-third,  together  with  a 
ship  and  one  bateau.  Thus  Burgoyne  was  indebted 
to  an  enemy  in  his  front  for  information  respecting 
his  own  posts  in  his  rear. 

But  the  action  of  the  igth  had  essentially  dimin- 
ished his  strength,  and  his  situation  began  to  grow 
critical.  His  dispatches  were  intercepted,  and  his 
communications  with  Canada  cut  off  by  the  seizure 
of  the  posts  at  the  head  of  Lake  George.  The  pick- 
ets were  more  and  more  molested  ;  the  army  was 
weakened  by  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  the  enemy 
swarmed  on  its  rear  and  flanks,  threatening  the  strong- 
est positions.  In  fact,  the  army  was  as  good  as  cut 
off  from  its  outposts,  while,  in  consequence  of  its 
close  proximity  to  the  American  camp,  the  soldiers 
had  but  little  rest.  The  nights,  also,  where  rendered 
hideous  by  the  howls  of  large  packs  of  wolves  that 
were  attracted  by  the  partially  buried  bodies  of  those 
slain  in  the  action  of  the  igth.  On  the  ist  of  Octo- 
ber a  few  English  soldiers  who  were  digging  potatoes 
in  a  field  a  short  distance  in  the  rear  of  headquarters, 
and  within  the  camp,  were  surprised  by  the  enemy, 
who  suddenly  issued  from  the  woods  and  carried  off 
the  men  in  the  very  faces  of  their  comrades. 

There  were  now  only  sufficient  rations  for  sixteen 
days,  and  foraging  parties,  necessarily  composed  of 
a  large  number  of  men,  were  sent  out  daily.  At 
length  Burgoyne  was  obliged  to  cut  down  the  ordi- 
nary rations  to  a  pound  of  bread  and  a  pound  of  meat ; 


Introduction.  2  7 

and  as  he  had  heard  nothing  from  Clinton,  he  became 
seriously  alarmed.  Accordingly,  on  the  evening  of 
the  5th  of  October,  he  called  a  council  of  war.  Riede- 
sel  and  Eraser  advised  an  immediate  falling  back  to 
their  old  position  behind  the  Battenkil,  Phillips  de- 
clined giving  an  opinion,  and  Burgoyne  reserved  his 
decision  until  he  had  made  a  reconnoissance  in  force 
"  to  gather  forage  and  ascertain  definitely  the  posi- 
tion of  the  enemy,  and  whether  it  would  be  advisable 
to  attack  him."  Should  the  latter  be  the  case,  he 
would,  on  the  day  following  the  reconnoissance,  ad- 
vance on  the  Americans  with  his  entire  army  ;  but  if 
not,  he  would  march  back  to  the  Battenkil. 

At  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  October  7,  liquor 
and  rations  having  been  previously  issued  to  the  army, 
Burgoyne,  with  1500  men,  eight  cannon,  and  two  how- 
itzers, started  on  his  reconnaissance  accompanied  by 
Generals  Riedesel,  Phillips,  and  Eraser.  The  Cana- 
dians and  Indians  were  sent  ahead  to  make  a  diversion 
in  the  rear  of  the  Continentals,  but  they  were  speedily 
discovered,  and  after  a  brisk  skirmish  of  half  an  hour, 
driven  back.  The  British  advanced  in  three  columns 
toward  the  left  wing  of  the  American  position,  en- 
tered a  wheat  field  about  200  rods  southwest  of  the 
site  of  the  action  of  the  igth,  deployed  into  line,  and 
began  cutting  up  wheat  for  forage.  The  grenadiers, 
under  Major  Ackland,  and  the  artillery,  under  Major 
Williams,  were  stationed  upon  a  gentle  eminence. 
The  light  infantry,  skirted  by  a  low  ridge  of  land,  and 
under  the  Earl  of  Balcarras,  was  placed  on  the  ex- 


28  Introduction. 

treme  right.  The  "centre  was  composed  of  British 
and  German  troops  under  Phillips  and  Riedesel.  In 
advance  of  the  right  wing  General  Fraser  had  com- 
mand of  a  detachment  of  500  picked  men.  The 
movement  having  been  seasonably  discovered,  the 
centre  advanced  guard  of  the  Americans  beat  to  arms. 
Colonel  Wilkinson,  Gate's  adjutant-general,  being  at 
head-quarters  at  the  moment,  was  dispatched  to  ascer- 
tain the  cause  of  the  alarm.  He  proceeded  to  within 
sixty  rods  of  the  enemy,  and,  returning,  informed 
General  Gates  that  they  were  foraging,  attempting 
also  to  reconnoitre  the  American  left,  and  likewise, 
in  his  opinion,  offering  battle.  "What  is  the  nature 
of  the  ground,  and  what  your  opinion  ? "  asked  Gates. 
"Their  front  is  open,"  Wilkinson  replied,  "and  their 
flanks  rest  on  woods,  under  cover  of  which  they  may 
be  attacked  ;  their  right  is  skirted  by  a  height.  I 
would  indulge  them."  "  Well,  then,"  rejoined  Gates, 
order  on  Morgan  to  begin  the  game."  At  his  own 
suggestion,  however,  Morgan  was  allowed  to  gain  the 
ridge  on  the  enemy's  right  by  a  circuitous  course, 
while  Poor's  and  Learned's  brigades  should  attack 
his  left. 

The  movement  was  admirably  executed.  At  half 
past  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  New  York  and 
New  Hampshire  troops  marched  steadily  up  the 
slope  of  the  knoll  on  which  the  British  grenadiers 
and  the  artillery  under  Ackland  and  Williams  were 
stationed.  Poor  had  given  them  orders  not  to  fire 
until  after  the  first  discharge  of  the  enemy,  and  for 


Introduction.  29 

a  moment  there  was  an  awful  stillness,  each  party 
seeming  to  bid  defiance  to  the  other.  At  length  the 
artillerymen  and  grenadiers  began  the  action  by  a 
shower  of  grape  and  musket-balls,  which  had  no  other 
effect  than  to  break  the  branches  of  the  trees  over 
the  heads  of  the  Americans,  who,  having  thus  re- 
ceived the  signal,  rushed  forward,  firing,  and  opening 
to  the  right  and  left.  Then  again  forming  on  the 
flanks  of  the  grenadiers,  they  mowed  them  down  at 
every  shot,  until  the  top  of  the  hill  was  gained. 
Here  a  bloody  and  hand-to-hand  struggle  ensued, 
which  lasted  about  thirty  minutes,  when,  Ackland, 
being  badly  hurt,  the  grenadiers  gave  way,  leaving 
the  ground  thickly  strewn  with  their  dead  and 
wounded.  In  this  dreadful  conflict  one  field-piece 
that  had  been  taken  and  re-taken  five  times,  finally 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans. 

Soon  after  Poor  began  the  attack  on  the  grena- 
diers, a  flanking  party  of  British  was  discerned  ad- 
vancing through  the  woods  upon  which  Colonel  Cilley 
was  ordered  to  intercept  them.  As  he  approached 
near  to  a  brush  fence  the  enemy  rose  from  behind 
and  fired,  but  so  hurriedly  that  only  a  few  balls  took 
effect.  The  officer  in  command  then  ordered  his  men 
to  "  fix  bayonets,  and  charge  the  damned  rebels." 
Colonel  Cilley,  who  heard  this  order,  replied,  "  It 
takes  two  to  play  that  game.  Charge,  and  we'll  try 
it !  "  His  regiment  charged  at  the  word,  and  firing  a 
volley  in  the  faces  of  the  British,  caused  them  to  flee, 
leaving  many  of  their  number  dead  upon  the  field. 


30  Introduction. 

As  soon  as  the  action  began  on  the  British  left, 
Morgan,  true  to  his  purpose,  poured  down  like  a  tor- 
rent from  the  ridge  that  skirted  the  flanking  party  of 
Fraser,  and  attacked  them  so  vigorously  as  to  force 
them  back  to  their  lines;  then,  by  a  rapid  movement 
to  the  left,  he  fell  upon  the  flank  of  the  British  right 
with  such  impetuosity  that  it  wavered  and  seemed  on 
the  point  of  giving  way.  At  this  critical  moment, 
Major  Dearborn  arrived  on  the  field  with  two  regi- 
ments of  New  England  troops,  and  delivered  so  gall- 
ing a  fire  upon  the  British  that  they  broke  and  fled 
in  wild  confusion.  They  were,  however,  quickly 
rallied  by  Balcarras  behind  a  fence  in  rear  of  their 
first  position,  and  led  again  into  action.  The  Conti- 
nentals next  threw  their  entire  force  upon  the  centre, 
commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Specht  with  300 
men.  Specht,  whose  left  flank  had  been  exposed  by 
the  retreating  of  the  grenadiers,  ordered  the  two 
regiments  of  Rhetz  and  Hesse-Hanan  to  form  a 
curve,  and,  supported  by  the  artillery,  thus  covered 
his  flank,  which  was  in  imminent  danger.  He  main- 
tained himself  long  and  bravely  in  this  precarious  situ- 
ation, and  would  have  stood  his  ground  still  longer 
had  he  not  been  separated  from  Balcarras  in  conse- 
quence of  the  latter,  through  a  misunderstanding  of 
Burgoyne's  orders,  taking  up  another  position  with 
his  light  infantry.  Thus  Specht's  right  flank  was  as 
much  exposed  as  his  left.  The  brunt  of  the  action 
now  fell  on  the  Germans,  who  alone  had  to  sustain 
the  impetuous  onset  of  the  Americans. 


Introduction.  3 1 

Brigadier-General  Eraser,  who,  up  to  this  time,  had 
been  stationed  on  the  right,  noticed  the  critical  situa- 
tion of  the  centre,  and  hurried  to  its  succor  with  the 
Twenty-fourth  Regiment.  Conspicuously  mounted 
on  an  iron-gray  horse,  he  was  all  activity  and  vigilance, 
riding  from  one  part  of  the  division  to  another,  and 
animating  the  troops  by  his  example.  Perceiving 
that  the  fate  of  the  day  rested  upon  that  officer, 
Morgan,  who  with  his  riflemen,  was  immediately  op- 
posed to  Eraser's  corps,  took  a  few  of  his  sharp- 
shooters aside,  among  whom  was  the  celebrated 
marksman  "  Tim  "  Murphy  —  men  on  whose  precision 
of  aim  he  could  rely  —  and  said  to  them,  "  That  gal- 
lant officer  yonder  is  General  Eraser.  I  admire  and 
respect  him,  but  it  is  necessary  for  our  good  that  he 
should  die.  Take  your  station  in  that  cluster  of 
bushes  and  do  your  duty."  Within  a  few  moments  a 
rifle-ball  cut  the  crupper  of  Eraser's  horse,  and  another 
passed  through  his  horse's  mane.  Calling  his  atten- 
tion to  this,  Eraser's  aid  said,  "  It  is  evident  that  you 
are  marked  out  for  particular  aim ;  would  it  not  be 
prudent  for  you  to  retire  from  this  place  ?  "  Eraser 
replied,  "  My  duty  forbids  me  to  fly  from  danger." 
The  next  moment  he  fell  mortally  wounded  by  a  ball 
from  the  rifle  of  Murphy,  and  was  carried  off  the  field 
by  two  grenadiers. 

Upon  the  fall  of  Eraser,  dismay  seized  the  British, 
while  a  corresponding  elation  took  possession  of  the 
Americans,  who,  being  reinforced  at  this  juncture  by 
General  Tenbroeck  with  3000  New  York  militia, 


32  Introduction. 

pressed  forward  with  still  greater  vehemence.  Up 
to  this  time  Burgoyne  had  been  in  the  thickest  of 
the  fight,  and  now,  finding  himself  in  danger  of  being 
surrounded,  he  abandoned  his  artillery,  and  ordered 
a  retreat  to  the  "  Great  Redoubt."  This  retreat  took 
place  exactly  fifty-two  minutes  after  the  first  shot  was 
fired,  the  enemy  leaving  all  the  cannon  on  the  field, 
except  the  two  howitzers,  with  a  loss  of  more  than 
400  men,  and  among  them  the  flower  of  his  officers, 
viz.,  Fraser,  Ackland,  Williams,  Sir  Francis  Clarke, 
and  many  others. 

The  retreating  British  troops  had  scarcely  entered 
their  lines,  when  Arnold,  notwithstanding  he  had  been 
refused  a  command  by  Gates,  placed  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  Continentals,  and,  under  a  terrific  fire  of 
grape  and  musket-balls,  assaulted  their  works  from 
right  to  left.  Mounted  on  a  dark  brown  horse,  he 
moved  incessantly  at  a  full  gallop  over  the  field,  giv- 
ing orders  in  every  direction  ;  sometimes  in  direct 
opposition  to  those  of  the  commander,  at  others 
leading  a  platoon  in  person,  and  exposing  himself  to 
the  hottest  fire  of  the  enemy.  "  He  behaved;"  says 
Samuel  Woodruff,  a  sergeant  in  the  battle,  in  a  letter 
to  the  late  Colonel  Stone,  "  more  like  a  madman  than 
a  cool  and  discreet  officer;"  But  if  it  were  "  mad- 
ness," judging  from  its  effect  there  was  "  method  in 
it."  With  a  part  of  Patterson's  and  Glover's  brigades, 
he  attacked,  with  the  ferocity  of  a  tiger,  the  "  Great 
Redoubt,"  and  encountering  the  light  infantry  of  Bal- 
carras,  drove  it  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  from  a 


In  tro  duct  ion.  3  3 

strong  abatis  into  the  redoubt  itself.  Then  spurring 
boldly  on,  exposed  to  the  cross-fire  of  the  two  armies, 
he  darted  to  the  extreme  right  of  the  British  camp. 

This  right-flank  defense  of  the  enemy  was  occupied 
by  the  Brunswick  troops  under  Breyman,  and  con- 
sisted of  a  breastwork  of  rails  piled  horizontally  be- 
tween perpendicular  pickets,  and  extended  200  yards 
across  an  open  field  to  some  high  ground  on  the  right, 
where  it  was  covered  by  a  battery  of  two  guns.  The 
interval  from  the  left  of  this  defense  to  the  "  Great 
Redoubt"  was  intrusted  to  the  care  of  the  Canadian 
Provincials.  In  front  of  the  rail  breastwork  the 
ground  declined  in  a  gentle  slope  of  120  yards,  when 
it  sunk  abruptly.  The  Americans  had  formed  a  line 
under  this  declivity,  and,  covered  breast-high,  were 
warmly  engaged  with  the  Germans,  when,  about  sun- 
set, Learned  came  up  with  his  brigade  in  open  col- 
umn, with  Colonel  Jackson's  regiment,  then  in  com- 
mand of  Lieutenant-Governor  Brooks,  in  front.  On 
his  approach  he  inquired  where  he  could  "put  zWwith 
most  advantage."  A  slack  fire  was  just  then  ob- 
served in  that  part  of  the  enemy's  line  between  the 
Germans  and  light  infantry,  where  were  stationed 
the  Canadian  Provincials,  and  Learned  was  accord- 
ingly requested  to  incline  to  the  right,  and  attack 
that  point. 

This  slack  fire  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  larger 

part   of  the   Canadian   companies   belonging  to   the 

skirmishing  expedition  of  the  morning  were  absent 

from  their  places,  part  of  them  being  in  the  u Great 

5 


34  Introduction. 

Redoubt,"  and  the  others  not  having  returned  to  their 
position.  Had  they  been  in  their  places,  it  would 
have  been  impossible,  Riedesel  thinks,  for  the  left 
flank  of  Breyman  to  have  been  surrounded.  Be  this 
as  it  may,  on  the  approach  of  Learned  the  Canadians 
fled,  leaving  the  German  flank  uncovered,  and  at  the 
same  moment  Arnold,  arriving  from  his  attack  on  the 
"  Great  Redoubt,"  took  the  lead  of  Learned's  brig- 
ade, and  passing  through  the  opening  left  by  the 
Canadians,  attacked  the  Brunswickers  on  their  left 
flank  and  rear  with  such  success  that  the  chivalric 
Breyman  was  killed,  and  they  themselves  force  to  re- 
treat, leaving  the  key  of  the  British  position  in  the 
hands  of  the  Americans.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Specht, 
in  the  "  Great  Redoubt,"  hearing  of  this  disaster, 
hastily  rallied  four  officers  and  fifty  men,  and  started 
in  the  growing  dusk  to  retake  the  intrenchment.  Un- 
acquainted with  the  road,  he  met  a  pretended  royal- 
ist in  the  woods,  who  promised  to  lead  him  to  Brey- 
man's  corps ;  but  his  guide  treacherously  delivered 
him  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans,  by  whom  he 
and  the  four  officers  were  captured. 

The  advantage  thus  gained  was  retained  by  the 
Americans,  and  darkness  put  an  end  to  an  action 
equally  brilliant  and  important  to  the  Continental 
arms.  Great  numbers  of  the  enemy  were  killed,  and 
200  prisoners  taken.  Burgoyne  himself  narrowly 
escaped,  one  ball  having  passed  through  his  hat,  and 
another  having  torn  his  waistcoat.  The  American 
loss  was  inconsiderable. 


Introduction.  35 

In  their  final  retreat  the  Brunswickers  turned  and 
delivered  a  parting  volley,  which  killed  Arnold's  horse 
and  wounded  the  general  in  the  same  leg  that  had 
been  injured  by  a  musket  ball  at  the  storming  of 
Quebec  two  years  previously.  It  was  at  this  moment, 
while  he  was  striving  to  extricate  himself  from  his 
saddle,  that  Major  Armstrong  rode  up  and  delivered 
to  him  an  order  from  Gates,  to  return  to  camp,  fearing 
he  "might  do  some  rash  thing."  "  He  indeed,"  says 
Mr.  Lossing,  "  did  a  rash  thing  in  the  eyes  of  military 
discipline  ;  he  led  troops  to  victory  without  an  order 
from  his  commander."  "  It  is  a  curious  fact,"  says 
Sparks,  "that  an  officer  who  really  had  not  command 
in  the  army  was  the  leader  of  one  of  the  most  spirited 
and  important  battles  of  the  Revolution.  His  mad- 
ness, or  rashness,  or  whatever  it  may  called,  resulted 
most  fortunately  for  himself.  The  wound  he  received 
at  the  moment  of  rushing  into  the  very  arms  of  dan- 
ger and  death  added  fresh  lustre  to  his  military  glory, 
and  was  a  new  claim  to  public  favor  and  applause." 
In  the  heat  of  the  action  he  struck  an  officer  on  the 
head  with  his  sword  and  wounded  him  —  an  indignity 
which  might  justly  have  been  retaliated  on  the  spot, 
and  in  the  most  fatal  manner.  The  officer  did,  in- 
deed, raise  his  gun  to  shoot  him,  but  he  forbore,  and 
the  next  day,  when  he  demanded  redress,  Arnold  de- 
clared his  entire  ignorance  of  the  act,  and  expressed 
his  regret.  Wilkinson  ascribed  his  rashness  to  intoxi- 
cation, but  Major  Armstrong,  who,  with  Samuel 
Woodruff,  assisted  in  removing  him  from  the  field, 


36  Introduction. 

was  satisfied  that  this  was  not  the  case.     Others  as- 
cribed it  to  opium.     This,  however,  is  conjecture,  un- 
sustained  by  proofs  of  any  kind,  and  consequently 
improbable.      His    vagaries    may,    perhaps,  be  suffi- 
ciently explained  by  the  extraordinary  circumstances 
of  wounded  pride,  anger,  and  desperation  in  which  he 
was  placed.   But  his  actions  were  certainly  rash  when 
compared  with  "  the  stately  method  of  the  comman- 
der-in-chief,  who  directed  by  orders  from  his  camp 
what  his  presence  should  have  sanctioned  in  the  field." 
Indeed,   the   conduct  of   Gates  does  not  compare 
favorably  either  with  that  of  his  own  generals  or  of  his 
opponent.     While  Arnold  and  Burgoyne  were  in  the 
hottest  of  the  fight,  boldly  facing  danger,  and  almost 
meeting  face  to  face,  Gates,  according  to  the  state- 
ment  of   his    adjutant-general,    was    discussing    the 
merits  of  the  Revolution  with  Sir   Francis   Clarke, 
Burgoyne's  aid-de-camp  —  who,  wounded  and  a  pris- 
oner, was  lying  upon  the  commander's  bed  —  seem- 
ingly more  intent  upon  winning  the  verbal  than  the 
actual  battle.     A  few  days  afterward  Sir  Francis  died. 
Gates  has  been  suspected  of  a  lack  of  personal 
courage.     He  certainly  looked  forward  to  a  possible 
retreat,  and  while  he  can  not  be  censured  for  guard- 
ing against  every  emergency,  he  was  not  animated  by 
the  spirit  which  led  Cortez  to  burn  his  ships  behind 
him.     At  the  beginning  of  the  battle,  Quartermaster- 
General   Lewis  was  directed  to  take  eight  men  with 
him  to  the  field,  to  convey  to  Gates  information  from 
time  to  time  concerning  the  progress  of  the  action. 


Introduction.  3  7 

At  the  same  time  the  baggage  trains  were  loaded 
up,  ready  to  move  at  a  moment's  warning.  The  first 
information  that  arrived  represented  the  British 
troops  to  exceed  the  Americans,  and  the  trains  were 
ordered  to  move  on  ;  but  by  the  time  they  were  under 
motion,  more  favorable  news  was  received,  and  the 
order  was  countermanded.  Thus  they  continued 
alternately  to  move  on  and  halt,  until  the  joyful  news, 
"The  British  have  retreated!"  rang  through  the 
camp,  and  reaching  the  attentive  ears  of  the  teams- 
ters, they  all,  with  one  accord,  swung  their  hats  and 
gave  three  long  and  loud  cheers.  The  glad  tidings 
spread  so  swiftly  that,  by  the  time  the  victorious 
troops  had  returned  to  their  quarters,  the  American 
camp  was  thronged  with  inhabitants  from  the  sur- 
rounding country,  and  presented  a  scene  of  the 
greatest  exultation. 

From  the  foregoing  account  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  term,  "  Battle  of  Bemus  Heights,"  used  to  desig- 
nate the  action  of  October  7,  is  erroneous  and  calcu- 
lated to  mislead.  The  maps  show  that  the  second 
engagement  began  on  ground  200  rods  southwest  of 
the  site  of  the  first  (known  as  the  "  Battle  of  Free- 
man's Farm"),  and  ended  on  the  same  ground  on 
which  that  action  was  fought.  The  only  interest,  in 
fact,  that  attaches  to  Bemus  Heights  —  fully  one  mile 
and  a  quarter  south  of  the  battle-ground  —  is  that 
they  were  the  headquarters  of  Gates  during  and  a 
short  time  previous  to  the  battle.  This  action  is 
called  variously  the  "  Battle  of  Bemus  Heights"  and 


38  Introduction. 

"Saratoga."  Properly,  the  two  engagements  should 
be  designated  as  the  "  First  and  Second  Battles  of 
Saratoga." 

On  the  morning  of  the  8th,  before  daybreak,  Bur- 
goyne  left  his  position,  now  utterly  untenable,  and 
defiled  to  the  meadows  by  the  river,  where  were  his 
supply  trains  ;  but  was  obliged  to  delay  his  retreat 
until  the  evening,  because  his  hospital  could  not  be 
sooner  removed.  He  wished  also  to  avail  himself  of 
the  darkness.  The  Americans  immediately  moved 
forward  and  took  possession  of  the  abandoned  camp. 
Burgoyne  having  concentrated  his  forces  upon  some 
heights,  which  were  strong  by  nature,  and  covered  by 
a  ravine  running  parallel  with  the  intrenchments  of 
his  late  camp,  a  random  fire  of  artillery  and  small- 
arms  was  kept  up  through  the  day,  particularly  on 
the  part  of  the  German  chasseurs  and  the  Provin- 
cials. These,  stationed  in  coverts  of  the  ravine,  kept 
up  an  annoying  fire  upon  every  one  crossing  their 
line  of  vision,  and  it  was  by  a  shot  from  one  of  these 
lurking  parties  that  General  Lincoln  received  a  severe 
wound  in  the  leg  while  riding  near  the  line.  It  was 
evident,  from  the  movements  of  the  British,  that  they 
were  preparing  to  retreat;  but  the  American  troops, 
having,  in  the  delirium  of  joy  consequent  upon  their 
victory,  neglected  to  draw  and  eat  their  rations  - 
being  withal  not  a  little  fatigued  with  the  two  days' 
exertions,  fell  back  to  their  camp,  which  had  been 
left  standing  in  the  morning.  Retreat  was,  indeed, 
the  only  alternative  left  to  the  British  commander, 


Introduction*  39 

since  it  was  now  quite  certain  that  he  could  not  cut 
his  way  through  the  American  army,  and  his  supplies 
were  reduced  to  a  short  allowance  for  five  days. 

Meanwhile,  in  addition  to  the  chagrin  of  defeat,  a 
deep  gloom  pervaded  the  British  camp.  The  gallant 
and  beloved  Fraser  —  the  life  and  soul  of  the  army- 
lay  dying  in  the  little  house  on  the  river  bank  occu- 
pied by  Baroness  Riedesel.  That  lady  has  described 
this  scene  with  such  unaffected  pathos  that  we  give 
it  in  her  own  words,  simply  premising  that  on  the 
previous  day  she  had  expected  Burgoyne,  Phillips 
and  Fraser  to  dine  with  her  after  their  return  from 
the  reconnoissance.  She  says : 

"  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  instead  of 
the  guests  who  were  to  have  dined  with  us,  they 
brought  in  to  me  upon  a  litter  poor  General  Fraser, 
mortally  wounded.  Our  dining-table,  which  was 
already  spread,  was  taken  away,  and  in  its  place  they 
fixed  up  a  bed  for  the  general.  I  sat  in  a  corner  of 
the  room,  trembling  and  quaking.  The  noises  grew 
continually  louder.  The  thought  that  they  might 
bring  in  my  husband  in  the  same  manner  was  to  me 
dreadful,  and  tormented  me  incessantly.  The  general 
said  to  the  surgeon,  l  Do  not  conceal  any  thing  from 
me.  Must  I  die?'  The  ball  had  gone  through  his 
bowels,  precisely  as  in  the  case  of  Major  Harnage. 
Unfortunately,  however,  the  general  had  eaten  a 
hearty  breakfast,  by  reason  of  which  the  intestines 
were  distended,  and  the  ball  had  gone  through  them. 
I  heard  him  often,  amidst  his  groans,  exclaim,  '  O 


4o  Introduction. 

fatal  ambition  !  Poor  General  Burgoyne  !  My  poor 
wife  ! '  Prayers  were  read  to  him.  He  then  sent  a 
message  to  General  Burgoyne,  begging  that  he  would 
have  him  buried  the  following  day  at  six  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  on  the  top  of  a  hill  which  was  a  sort  of 
a  redoubt.  I  knew  no  longer  which  way  to  turn. 
The  whole  entry  was  filled  with  the  sick,  who  were 
suffering  with  camp  sickness  —  a  kind  of  dysentery. 
I  spent  the  night  in  this  manner  :  at  one  time  com- 
forting Lady  Ackland,  whose  husband  was  wounded 
and  a  prisoner,  and  at  another  looking  after  my 
children,  whom  I  had  put  to  bed.  As  for  myself,  I 
could  not  go  to  sleep,  as  I  had  General  Eraser  and 
all  the  other  gentlemen  in  my  room,  and  was  con- 
stantly afraid  that  my  children  would  wake  up  and 
cry,  and  thus  disturb  the  poor  dying  man,  who  often 
sent  to  beg  my  pardon  for  making  me  so  much 
trouble.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  they 
told  me  that  he  could  not  last  much  longer.  I  had 
desired  to  be  apprised  of  the  approach  of  this  moment. 
I  accordingly  wrapped  up  the  children  in  the  cover- 
ings, and  went  with  them  into  the  entry.  Early  in 
morning,  at  eight  o'clock,  he  died. 

"After  they  had  washed  the  corpse,  they  wrapped 
it  in  a  sheet  and  laid  it  on  a  bedstead.  We  then 
again  came  into  the  room,  and  had  this  sad  sight 
before  us  the  whole  day.  At  every  instant,  also, 
wounded  officers  of  my  acquaintance  arrived,  and  the 
cannonade  again  began.  A  retreat  was  spoken  of, 
but  there  was  not  the  least  movement  made  toward 


Introduction.  4 1 

it.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  I  saw  the 
new  house  which  had  been  built  for  me,  in  flames  ; 
the  enemy,  therefore,  were  not  far  from  us.  We 
learned  that  General  Burgoyne  intended  to  fulfil  the 
last  wish  of  General  Eraser,  and  to  have  him  buried 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  place  designated  by  him.  This 
occasioned  an  unnecessary  delay,  to  which  a  part  of 
the  misfortune  of  the  army  was  owing. 

"  Precisely  at  six  o'clock  the  corpse  was  brought 
out,  and  we  saw  the  entire  body  of  generals  with 
their  retinues  assisting  at  the  obsequies.  The 
English  chaplain,  Mr.  Brudenell,  performed  the 
funeral  services.  The  cannon-balls  flew  continually 
around  and  over  the  party.  The  American  general, 
Gates,  afterward  said  that  if  he  had  known  that  it 
was  a  burial,  he  would  not  have  allowed  any  firing  in 
that  direction.  Many  cannon-balls  also  flew  not  far 
from  me,  but  I  had  my  eyes  fixed  upon  the  hill,  where 
I  distinctly  saw  my  husband  in  the  midst  of  the 
enemy's  fire,  and  therefore  I  could  not  think  of  my  own 
danger."  "  Certainly,"  says  General  Riedesel,  in  his 
journal,  "it  was  a  real  military  funeral  —  one  that 
was  unique  of  its  kind." 

General  Burgoyne  has  himself  described  this 
funeral  with  his  usual  eloquence  and  felicity  of  ex- 
pression :  "  The  incessant  cannonade  during  the 
solemnity  ;  the  steady  attitude  and  unaltered  voice 
with  which  the  chaplain  officiated,  though  frequently 
covered  with  dust,  which  the  shot  threw  up  on  all 
sides  of  him  ;  the  mute  but  expressive  mixture  of 
6 


42  Introduction. 

sensibility  and  indignation  upon  every  countenance 
-these  objects  will  remain  to  the  last  of  life  upon 
the  mind  of  every  man  who  was  present.  The  grow- 
ing duskiness  added  to  the  scenery,  and  the  whole 
marked  a  character  of  that  juncture  that  would  make 
one  of  the  finest  subjects  for  the  pencil  of  a  master 
that  the  field  ever  exhibited.  To  the  canvass,  and  to 
the  faithful  page  of  a  more  important  historian,  gal- 
lant friend  !  I  consign  thy  memory.  There  may  thy 
talents,  thy  manly  virtues,  their  progress  and  their 
period,  find  due  distinction ;  and  long  may  they  sur- 
vive, long  after  the  frail  record  of  my  pen  shall  be 
forgotten  ! " 

As  soon  as  the  funeral  services  were  finished  and 
the  grave  closed,  an  order  was  issued  that  the  army 
should  retreat  as  soon  as  darkness  had  set  in  ;  and 
the  commander  who,  in  the  beginning  of  the  campaign, 
had  vauntingly  uttered  in  general  orders  that  memor- 
able sentiment,  "  Britons  never  go  back,"  was  now 
compelled  to  steal  away  in  the  night,  leaving  his 
hospital,  containing  upward  of  400  sick  and  wounded, 
to  the  mercy  of  a  victorious  and  hitherto  despised 
enemy.  Gates  in  this,  as  in  all  other  instances,  ex- 
tended to  his  adversary  the  greatest  humanity. 

The  army  began  its  retrograde  movement  at  nine 
o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  8th,  in  the  midst  of  a 
pouring  rain,  Riedesel  leading  the  van,  and  Phillips 
bringing  up  the  rear  with  the  advanced  corps. 

In  this  retreat  the  same  lack  of  judgment  on  the 
part  of  Burgoyne  is  apparent.  Had  that  general,  as 


Introduction.  43 

Riedesel  and  PhiHips  advised,  fallen  immediately 
back  across  the  Hudson,  and  taken  up  his  former 
position  behind  the  Battenkil,  not  only  would  his 
communications  with  Lake  George  and  Canada  have 
been  restored,  but  he  could  at  his  leisure  have 
awaited  the  movements  of  Clinton.  Burgoyne,  how- 
ever, having  arrived  at  Dovogat  two  hours  before 
daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  Qth,  gave  the  order 
to  halt,  greatly  to  the  surprise  of  his  whole  army. 
"Every  one,"  says  the  journal  of  Reidesel,  "was, 
notwithstanding,  even  then  of  the  opinion  that  the 
army  would  make  but  a  short  stand,  merely  for  its 
better  concentration,  as  all  saw  that  haste  was  of  the 
utmost  necessity,  if  they  would  get  out  of  a  dangerous 
trap."  At  this  time  the  heights  of  Saratoga,  com- 
manding the  ford  across  Fish  Creek,  were  not  yet 
occupied  by  the  Americans  in  force,  and  up  to  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning  the  retreating  army  might 
easily  have  reached  that  place  and  thrown  a  bridge 
across  the  Hudson.  General  Fellows,  who,  by  the 
orders  of  Gates,  occupied  the  heights  at  Saratoga 
opposite  the  ford,  was  in  an  extremely  critical  situa- 
tion. On  the  night  of  the  8th,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Sutherland,  who  had  been  sent  forward  to  reconnoitre, 
crossed  Fish  Creek,  and,  guided  by  General  Fel- 
lows's  fires,  found  his  camp  so  entirely  unguarded 
that  he  marched  round  it  without  being  hailed.  He 
then  returned,  and,  reporting  to  Burgoyne,  entreated 
permission  to  attack  Fellows  with  his  regiment,  but 
was  refused.  "  Had  not  Burgoyne  halted  at  Dovo- 


44  Introduction. 

gat,"  says  Wilkinson,  "he  must  have  reached  Sara- 
toga before  day,  in  which  case  Fellows  would  have 
been  cut  up,  and  captured  or  dispersed,  and  Bur- 
goyne's  retreat  to  Fort  George  would  have  been 
unobstructed.  As  it  was,  however,  Burgoyne's  army 
reached  Saratoga  just  as  the  rear  of  our  militia  was 
ascending  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Hudson,  where 
they  took  post  and  prevented  its  passage."  Bur- 
goyne,  however,  although  within  half  an  hour's  march 
of  Saratoga,  gave  the  surprising  order  that  "  the 
army  should  bivouac  in  two  lines  and  await  the  day." 
Mr.  Bancroft  ascribes  this  delay  to  the  fact  that 
Burgoyne  "was  still  clogged  with  his  artillery  and 
baggage,  and  that  the  night  was  dark,  and  the  road 
weakened  by  rain."  But,  according  to  the  universal 
testimony  of  all  the  manuscript  journals  extant,  the 
road,  which  up  to  this  time  was  sufficiently  strong  for 
the  passage  of  the  baggage  and  artillery  trains,  be- 
came, during  the  halt,  so  bad  by  the  continued  rain 
that  when  the  army  again  moved,  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  it  was  obliged  to  leave  behind  the 
tents  and  camp  equipage,  which  fell  most  opportunely 
into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  Aside,  however, 
from  this,  it  is  a  matter  of  record  that  the  men, 
through  their  officers,  pleaded  with  Burgoyne  to  be 
allowed  to  proceed  notwithstanding  the  storm  and 
darkness,  while  the  officers  themselves  pronounced 
the  delay  "  madness."  But  whatever  were  the  motives 
of  the  English  general,  this  delay  lost  him  his  army, 
and,  perhaps,  the  British  crown  her  American  colonies. 


Introduction,  45 

During  the  halt  at  Dovogat's,  there  occurred  one 
of  those  incidents  which  relieve  with  fairer  lights  and 
softer  tints  the  gloomy  picture  of  war.  Lady  Harriet 
Ackland  had,  like  the  Baroness  Riedesel,  accom- 
panied her  husband  to  America,  and  gladly  shared 
with  him  the  vicissitudes  of  campaign  life.  Major 
Ackland  was  a  rough,  blunt  man,  but  a  gallant  soldier 
and  devoted  husband,  and  she  loved  him  dearly. 
Ever  since  he  had  been  wounded  and  taken  prisoner 
his  wife  had  been  greatly  distressed,  and  it  had  re- 
quired all  the  comforting  attentions  of  the  baroness 
to  reassure  her.  As  soon  as  the  army  halted,  by  the 
advice  of  the  latter,  she  determined  to  visit  the 
American  camp  and  implore  the  permission  of  its 
commander  to  join  her  husband,  and  by  her  presence 
alleviate  his  sufferings.  Accordingly,  on  the  gth, 
she  requested  permission  of  Burgoyne  to  depart. 
"  Though  I  was  ready  to  believe,"  says  that  general, 
"  that  patience  and  fortitude  in  a  supreme  degree 
were  to  be  found,  as  well  as  every  other  virtue,  under 
the  most  tender  forms,  I  was  astonished  at  this  pro- 
posal. After  so  long  an  agitation  of  spirits,  exhausted 
not  only  for  want  of  rest,  but  absolutely  want  of  food, 
drenched  in  rains  for  twelve  hours  together,  that  a 
woman  should  be  capable  of  such  an  undertaking  as 
delivering  herself  to  an  enemy,  probably  in  the  night, 
and  uncertain  of  what  hands  she  might  fall  into,  ap- 
peared an  effort  above  human  nature.  The  assist- 
ance I  was  enabled  to  give  was  small  indeed.  All  I 
could  furnish  to  her  was  an  open  boat,  and  a  few 


46  Introduction. 

lines,  written  upon  dirty,  wet  paper,  to  General  Gates, 
recommending  her  to  his  protection."* 

In  the  midst  of  a  driving  autumnal  storm,  Lady 
Ackland  set  out  at  dusk,  in  an  open  boat,  for  the 
American  camp,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Brudenell  the 
chaplain,  her  waiting-maid,  and  her  husband's  valet. 
At  ten  o'clock  they  reached  the  American  advanced 
guard,  under  the  command  of  Major  Henry  Dear- 
born. Lady  Ackland  herself  hailed  the  sentinel,  and 
as  soon  as  the  bateau  struck  the  shore,  the  party  were 
immediately  conveyed  into  the  log-cabin  of  the  major, 
who  had  been  ordered  to  detain  the  flag  until  the 
morning,  the  night  being  exceedingly  dark,  and  the 
quality  of  the  lady  unknown.  Major  Dearborn  gal- 
lantly gave  up  his  room  to  his  guest,  a  fire  was  kindled, 
and  a  cup  of  tea  provided,  and  as  soon  as  Lady  Ack- 
land made  herself  known,  her  mind  was  relieved  from 
its  anxiety  by  the  assurance  of  her  husband's  safety. 
"I  visited,"  says  Adjutant-General  Wilkinson,  "the 
guard  before  sunrise.  Lady  Ackland's  boat  had  put 
off,  and  was  floating  down  the  stream  to  our  camp, 
where  General  Gates,  whose  gallantry  will  not  be 
denied,  stood  ready  to  receive  her  with  all  the  ten- 
derness and  respect  to  which  her  rank  and  condition 
gave  her  a  claim.  Indeed,  the  feminine  figure,  the 
benign  aspect,  and  polished  manners  of  this  charm- 
ing woman  were  alone  sufficient  to  attract  the  sym- 

h  These  "  lines  "  are  preserved  in  the  archives  of 
the  New  York  Historical  Society. 


Introduction.  47 

pathy  of  the  most  obdurate  ;  but  if  another  motive 
could  have  been  wanting  to  inspire  respect,  it  was 
furnished  by  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  Lady  Har- 
riet, then  in  that  most  delicate  situation  which  can 
not  fail  to  interest  the  solicitudes  of  every  being  pos- 
sessing the  form  and  feelings  of  a  man." 

On  the  evening  of  the  gth  the  main  portion  of  the 
drenched  and  weary  army  forded  Fish  Creek,  waist 
deep,  and  bivouacked  in  a  wretched  position  in  the 
open  air  on  the  opposite  bank.  Burgoyne  remained 
on  the  south  side  of  the  creek,  with  Hamilton's  bri- 
gade as  a  guard,  and  passed  the  night  in  the  mansion 
of  General  Schuyler.  The  officers  slept  on  the  ground 
with  no  other  covering  than  oil  cloth.  Nor  did  their 
wives  fare  better.  "  I  was  wet,"  says  the  Baroness 
Riedesel,  "through  and  through  by  the  frequent 
rains,  and  was  obliged  to  remain  in  this  condition  the 
entire  night,  as  I  had  no  place  whatever  where  I  could 
change  my  linen.  I  therefore  seated  myself  before 
a  good  fire  and  undressed  my  children,  after  which 
we  laid  down  together  upon  some  straw.  I  asked 
General  Phillips,  who  came  up  to  where  we  were,  why 
we  did  not  continue  our  retreat  while  there  was  yet 
time,  as  my  husband  had  pledged  himself  to  cover  it, 
and  bring  the  army  through.  '  Poor  woman,'  an- 
swered he,  '  I  am  amazed  at  you.  Completely  wet 
through,  have  you  still  the  courage  to  wish  to  go 
further  in  this  weather?  Would  that  you  were  our 
commanding  general !  He  halts  because  he  is  tired, 
and  intends  to  spend  the  night  here,  and  give  us  a 


48  Introduction. 

supper.' "  Burgoyne,  however,  would  not  think  of  a 
further  advance  that  night ;  and  while  his  army  were 
suffering  from  cold  and  hunger,  and  every  one  was 
looking  forward  to  the  immediate  future  with  appre- 
hension, "the  illuminated  mansion  of  General  Schuy- 
ler,"  says  the  Brunswicky<?&r»fl/,  "rang  with  singing, 
laughter,  and  the  jingling  of  glasses.  There  Bur- 
goyne was  sitting  with  some  merry  companions  at  a 
dainty  supper,  while  the  Champagne  was  flowing. 
Near  him  sat  the  beautiful  wife  of  an  English  com- 
missary, his  mistress.  Great  as  the  calamity  was,  the 
frivolous  general  still  kept  up  his  orgies.  Some  were 
even  of  opinion  that  he  had  merely  made  that  inex- 
cusable stand  for  the  sake  of  passing  a  merry  night. 
Riedesel  thought  it  his  duty  to  remind  his  general  of 
the  danger  of  the  halt,  but  the  latter  returned  all  sorts 
of  evasive  answers."  This  statement  is  corroborated 
by  the  Baroness  Riedesel,  who  also  adds:  "  The 
following  day  General  Burgoyne  repaid  the  hospi- 
table shelter  of  the  Schuyler  mansion  by  burning  it, 
with  its  valuable  barns  and  mills,  to  the  ground,  un- 
der pretense  that  he  might  be  better  able  to  cover 
his  retreat,  but  others  say  out  of  mean  revenge  on 
the  American  general." 

But  the  golden  moment  had  fled.  On  the  follow- 
ing morning,  the  loth,  it  was  discovered  that  the 
Americans,  under  Fellows,  were  in  possession  of  the 
Battenkil,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Hudson;  and 
Burgoyne,  considering  it  too  hazardous  to  attempt 
the  passage  of  the  river,  ordered  the  army  to  occupy 


Introduction.  49 

the  same  quarters  on  the  heights  of  Saratoga  which 
they  had  used  on  first  crossing  the  river  on  the  i3th 
of  September.  At  the  same  time  he  sent  ahead  a 
working  party  to  open  a  road  to  Fort  Edward,  his 
intention  being  to  continue  his  retreat  along  the 
west  bank  of  the  Hudson  to  the  front  of  that  fort, 
force  a  passage  across,  and  take  possession  of  the 
post.  Colonel  Cochran,  however,  had  already  gar- 
risoned it  with  200  men,  and  the  detachment  hastily 
fell  back  upon  the  camp. 

Meanwhile  General  Gates,  who  had  begun  the 
pursuit  at  noon  of  the  loth  with  his  main  army, 
reached  the  high  ground  south  of  Fish  Creek  at 
four  the  same  afternoon.  The  departure  of  Bur- 
goyne's  working  party  for  Fort  Edward  led  him  to 
believe  that  the  entire  British  army  were  in  full  re- 
treat, having  left  only  a  small  guard  to  protect  their 
baggage.  Acting  upon  this  impression,  he  ordered 
Nixon  and  Glover,  with  their  brigades,  to  cross  the 
creek  early  the  next  morning  under  cover  of  the  fog, 
which  at  this  time  of  year  usually  prevails  till  after 
sunrise,  and  attack  the  British  camp.  The  English 
general  had  notice  of  this  plan,  and  placing  a  battery 
in  position,  he  posted  his  troops  in  ambush  behind 
the  thickets  along  the  banks  of  the  creek,  and  con- 
cealed also  by  the  fog,  awaited  the  attack,  confident 
of  victory.  At  early  daylight  Morgan,  who  had 
again  been  selected  to  begin  the  action,  crossed  the 
creek  with  his  men  on  a  raft  of  floating  logs,  and 
falling  in  with  a  British  picket,  was  fired  upon,  losing 
7 


50  Introduction. 

a  lieutenant  and  two  privates.  This  led  him  to  be- 
lieve that  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  had  not 
moved;  in  which  case,  the  creek  in  his  rear,  en- 
veloped by  a  dense  fog,  and  unacquainted  with  the 
ground,  he  felt  his  position  to  be  most  critical. 

Meanwhile  the  whole  army  advanced  as  far  as  the 
south  bank  of  the  creek,  and  halted.  Nixon,  how- 
ever, who  was  in  advance,  had  already  crossed  the 
stream  near  its  confluence  with  the  Hudson,  and  cap- 
tured a  picket  of  sixty  men  and  a  number  of  bateaux, 
and  Glover  was  preparing  to  follow  him,  when  a 
deserter  from  the  enemy  confirmed  the  suspicions  of 
Morgan.  This  was  corroborated,  a  few  moments 

O  ' 

afterward,  by  the  capture  of  a  reconnoitring  party  of 
thirty-five  men  by  the  advanced  guard,  under  Captain 
Goodale,  of  Putnam's  regiment,  who,  discovering 
them  through  the  fog  just  as  he  neared  the  opposite 
bank,  charged,  and  took  them  without  firing  a  gun. 
Gates  was  at  this  time  at  his  head-quarters,  a  mile 
and  a  half  in  the  rear;  and  before  intelligence  could 
be  sent  to  him,  the  fog  cleared  up,  and  exposed  the 
entire  British  army  under  arms.  A  heavy  fire  of 
artillery  and  musketry  was  immediately  opened  upon 
Nixon's  brigade,  and  they  retreated  in  considerable 
disorder  across  the  creek.* 

General  Learned  had  in  the  mean  time  reached 
Morgan's  corps  with  his  own  and  Patterson's  brig- 

*  The  precise  spot  of  this  retreat  is  where  the 
bridge  across  Fish  Creek  leads  to  Victory  Mills, 
about  where  the  cars  stop  at  Victory  Station. 


Introduction.  5 1 

ades,  and  was  advancing  rapidly  to  the  attack  in 
obedience  to  a  standing  order  issued  the  day  before, 
that,  "  in  case  of  an  attack  against  any  point,  whether 
in  front,  flank,  or  rear,  the  troops  are  to  fall  upon  the 
enemy  at  all  quarters."  He  had  arrived  within  200 
yards  of  Burgoyne's  battery,  and  in  a  few  moments 
more  would  have  been  engaged  at  great  disadvant- 
age, when  Wilkinson  reached  him  with  the  news  that 
the  right  wing,  under  Nixon,  had  given  way,  and 
that  it  would  be  prudent  to  retreat.  The  brave  old 
general  hesitated  to  comply.  "  Our  brethren,"  said 
he,  "  are  engaged  on  the  right,  and  the  standing  or- 
der is  to  attack"  In  this  dilemma  Wilkinson  ex- 
claimed to  one  of  Gate's  aids,  standing  near,  "  Tell 
the  general  that  his  own  fame  and  the  interests  of 
the  cause  are  at  hazard  —  that  his  presence  is  neces- 
sary with  the  troops."  Then,  turning  to  Learned,  he 
continued,  "  Our  troops  on  the  right  have  retired, 
and  the  fire  you  hear  is  from  the  enemy.  Although 
I  have  no  orders  for  your  retreat,  I  pledge  my  life 
for  the  general's  approbation."  By  this  time  several 
field  officers  had  joined  the  group,  and  a  consultation 
being  held,  the  proposition  to  retreat  was  approved. 
Scarcely  had  they  faced  about,  when  the  enemy,  who, 
expecting  their  advance,  had  been  watching  their 
movements  with  shouldered  arms,  fired,  and  killed  an 
officer  and  several  men  before  they  made  good  their 
retreat. 

The  ground  occupied  by  the  two  armies  after  this 
engagement    resembled    a   vast    amphitheatre,    the 


52  Introduction. 

British  occupying  the  arena,  and  the  Americans  the 
elevated  surroundings.  Burgoyne's  camp,  upon  the 
meadows  and  the.  heights  of  Saratoga  north  of  Fish 
Creek,  was  fortified,  and  extended  half  a  mile  pa- 
rallel with  the  river,  most  of  its  heavy  artillery  being 
on  an  elevated  plateau  northeast  of  the  village  of 
Schuylerville.  On  the  American  side  Morgan  and 
his  sharp-shooters  were  posted  on  still  higher  ground 
west  of  the  British,  extending  along  their  entire  rear. 
On  the  east  or  opposite  bank  of  the  Hudson,  Fellows, 
with  3000  men,  was  strongly  intrenched  behind  heavy 
batteries,  while  Gates,  with  the  main  body  of  Conti- 
nentals, lay  on  the  high  ground  south  of  Fish  Creek 
and  parallel  with  it.  On  the  north,  Fort  Edward 
was  held  by  Stark  with  2000  men,  and  between  that 
post  and  Fort  George,  in  the  vicinity  of  Glenn's  Falls, 
the  Americans  had  a  fortified  camp  ;  while  from  the 
surrounding  country  large  bodies  of  yeomanry  flocked 
in  and  voluntarily  posted  themselves  up  and  down  the 
river.  The  "  trap  "  which  Riedesel  had  foreseen  was 
already  sprung! 

The  Americans,  impatient  of  delay,  urged  Gates 
to  attack  the  British  camp  ;  but  that  general,  now 
assured  that  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  was  only  a 
question  of  time,  and  unwilling  needlessly  to  sacrifice 
his  men,  refused  to  accede  to  their  wishes,  and  quietly 
awaited  the  course  of  events. 

The  beleaguered  army  was  now  constantly  under 
fire  both  on  its  flanks  and  rear  and  in  front.  The 
outposts  were  continually  engaged  with  those  of  the 


Introduction.  5  3 

Americans,  and  many  of  the  patrols,  detached  to  keep 
up  communication  between  the  centre  and  right  wing, 
were  taken  prisoners.  The  captured  bateaux  were  of 
great  use  to  the  Americans,  who  were  now  enabled 
to  transport  troops  across  the  river  at  pleasure,  and 
re-enforce  the  posts  on  the  road  to  Fort  Edward. 
Every  hour  the  position  of  the  British  grew  more 
desperate,  and  the  prospect  of  escape  less.  There 
was  no  place  of  safety  for  the  baggage,  and  the  ground 
was  covered  with  dead  horses  that  had  either  been 
killed  by  the  enemy's  bullets  or  by  exhaustion,  as 
there  had  been  no  forage  for  four  days.  Even  for 
the  wounded  there  was  no  spot  that  could  afford  a 
safe  shelter  while  the  surgeon  was  binding  up  their 
wounds.  The  whole  camp  became  a  scene  of  con- 
stant fighting.  The  soldier  dared  not  lay  aside  his 
arms  night  or  day,  except  to  exchange  his  gun  for  the 
spade  when  new  intrenchments  were  to  be  thrown 
up.  He  was  also  debarred  of  water,  although  close 
to  Fish  Creek  and  the  river,  it  being  at  the  hazard  of 
life  in  the  daytime  to  procure  any,  from  the  number 
of  sharp-shooters  Morgan  had  posted  in  trees,  and  at 
night  he  was  sure  to  be  taken  prisoner  if  he  attempted 
it.  The  sick  and  wounded  would  drag  themselves 
along  into  a  quiet  corner  of  the  woods,  and  lie  down 
and  die  upon  the  damp  ground.  Nor  were  they  safe 
even  here,  since  every  little  while  a  ball  would  come 
crashing  down  among  the  trees.  The  few  houses  that 
were  at  the  foot  of  the  heights  were  nearest  to  the 
fire  from  Fellows's  batteries,  notwithstanding  which 


54  Introduction. 

the  wounded  offcers  and  men  crawled  thither,  seeking 
protection  in  the  cellars. 

In  one  of  these  cellars  the  Baroness  Riedesel 
ministered  to  the  sufferers  like  an  angel  of  help  and 
comfort.  She  made  them  broth,  dressed  their  wounds, 
purified  the  atmosphere  by  sprinkling  vinegar  on  hot 
coals,  and  was  ever  ready  to  perform  any  friendly 
service,  even  those  from  which  the  sensitive  nature  of 
a  woman  will  recoil.  Once,  while  thus  engaged,  a 
furious  cannonade  was  opened  upon  the  house,  under 
the  impression  that  it  was  the  head-quarters  of  the 
English  commander.  "  Alas! "  says  Baroness  Riedesel, 
"it  harbored  none  but  wounded  soldiers  or  women!" 
Eleven  cannon-balls  went  through  the  house,  and 
those  in  the  cellar  could  plainly  hear  them  crashing 
through  the  walls  overhead.  One  poor  fellow,  whose 
leg  they  were  about  to  amputate  in  the  room  above, 
had  his  other  leg  taken  off  by  one  of  these  cannon- 
balls  in  the  very  midst  of  the  operation.  The  greatest 
suffering  was  experienced  by  the  wounded  from  thirst, 
which  was  not  relieved  until  a  soldier's  wife  volun- 
teered to  bring  water  from  the  river.  This  she  con- 
tinued to  do  with  safety,  the  Americans  gallantly 
witholding  their  fire  whenever  she  appeared. 

Meanwhile  order  grew  more  and  more  lax,  and  the 
greatest  misery  prevailed  throughout  the  entire  army. 
The  commissaries  neglected  to  distribute  provisions 
among  the  troops,  and  although  there  were  cattle  still 
left,  no  animal  had  been  killed.  More  than  thirty 
officers  came  to  the  baroness  for  food,  forced  to  this 


\ 

Introduction.  5  5 

step  from  sheer  starvation,  one  of  them,  a  Canadian, 
being  so  weak  as  to  be  unable  to  stand.  She  divided 
among  them  all  the  provisions  at  hand,  and  having 
exhausted  her  store  without  satisfying  them,  in  an 
agony  of  despair  she  called  to  Adjutant-General 
Petersham,  one  of  Burgoyne's  aids,  who  chanced  to 
be  passing  at  the  time,  and  said  to  him,  passionately, 
"  Come  and  see  for  yourself  these  officers  who  have 
been  wounded  in  the  common  cause,  and  are  now  in 
want  of  every  thing  that  is  due  them  !  It  is  your 
duty  to  make  a  representation  of  this  to  the  general." 
Soon  afterward  Burgoyne  himself  came  to  the 
Baroness  Riedesel  and  thanked  her  for  reminding  him 
of  his  duty.  In  reply  she  apologized  for  meddling 
with  things  she  well  knew  were  out  of  a  woman's 
province  ;  still,  it  was  impossible,  she  said  for  her  to 
keep  silence  when  she  saw  so  many  brave  men  in 
want  of  food,  and  had  nothing  more  to  give  them. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  I2th  Burgoyne  held  a  con- 
sultation with  Riedesel,  Phillips,  and  the  two  briga- 
diers, Hamilton  and  Gall.  Riedesel  suggested  that 
the  baggage  should  be  left,  and  a  retreat  begun  on 
the  west  side  of  the  Hudson  ;  and  as  Fort  Edward 
had  been  re-enforced  by  a  strong  detachment  of  the 
Americans,  he  further  proposed  to  cross  the  river  four 
miles  above  that  fort,  and  continue  the  march  to 
Ticonderoga  through  the  woods,  leaving  Lake  George 
on  the  right —  a  plan  which  was  then  feasible,  as  the 
road  on  the  west  bank  of  the  river  had  not  yet  been 
occupied  by  the  enemy.  This  proposition  was  ap- 


56  Introduction. 

proved,  and  an  order  was  issued  that  the  retreat  should 
be  begun  by  ten  o'clock  that  night.  But  when  every 
thing  was  in  readiness  for  the  march,  Burgoyne 
suddenly  changed  his  mind,  and  postponed  the  move- 
ment until  the  next  day,  when  an  unexpected  man- 
oeuvre of  the  Americans  made  it  impossible.  During 
the  night  the  latter,  crossing  the  river  on  rafts  near 
the  Battenkil,  erected  a  heavy  battery  on  an  eminence 
opposite  the  mouth  of  that  stream,  and  on  the  left 
flank  of  the  army,  thus  making  the  investment  com- 
plete. 

Burgoyne  was  now  entirely  surrounded  ;  the  deser- 
tions of  his  Indians  and  Canadian  allies,  and  the 
losses  in  killed  and  wounded,  had  reduced  his  army 
one-half;  there  was  not  food  sufficient  for  five  days; 
and  not  a  word  had  been  received  from  Clinton.  Ac- 
cordingly, on  the  1 3th,  he  again  called  a  general 
council  of  all  his  officers,  including  the  captains  of 
companies.  The  council  were  not  long  in  deciding 
unanimously  that  a  treaty  should  at  once  be  opened 
with  General  Gates  for  an  honorable  surrender,  their 
deliberations  being  doubtless  hastened  by  several 
rifle-balls  perforating  the  tent  in  which  they  were 
assembled,  and  an  1 8-pound  cannon-ball  sweeping 
across  the  table  at  which  Burgoyne  and  his  generals 
were  seated. 

The  following  morning,  the  i4th,  Burgoyne  pro- 
posed a  cessation  of  hostilities  until  terms  of  capitu- 
lation could  be  arranged.  Gates  demanded  an  un- 
conditional surrender,  which  was  refused ;  but  he 


Introduction.  57 

finally  agreed,  on  the  i5th,  to  more  moderate  terms, 
influenced  by  the  possibility  of  Clinton's  arrival  at 
Albany.  During  the  night  of  the  i6th  a  Provincial 
officer  arrived  unexpectedly  in  the  British  camp,  and 
stated  that  he  had  heard  through  a  third  party,  that 
Clinton  had  captured  the  forts  on  the  Hudson  High- 
lands, and  arrived  at  Esopus  eight  days  previously, 
and  further,  that  by  this  time  he  was  very  likely  at 
Albany.  Burgoyne  was  so  encouraged  by  this  news, 
that,  as  the  articles  of  capitulation  were  not  yet  signed, 
he  resolved  to  repudiate  the  informal  agreement  with 
Gates.  The  latter,  however,  was  in  no  mood  for 
temporizing,  and  being  informed  of  the  new  phase  of 
affairs,  he  drew  up  his  troops  in  order  of  battle  at 
early  dawn  of  the  next  day,  the  lyth,  and  informed 
him  in  plain  terms  that  he  must  either  sign  the  treaty 
or  prepare  for  immediate  battle.  Riedesel  and  Phil- 
lips added  their  persuasions,  representing  to  him  that 
the  news  just  received  was  mere  hearsay,  but  even  if 
it  were  true,  to  recede  now  would  be  in  the  highest 
degree  dishonorable.  Burgoyne  thereupon  yielded 
a  reluctant  consent,  and  the  articles  of  capitulation 
were  signed  at  nine  o'clock  the  same  morning. 

They  provided  that  the  British  were  to  march  out 
with  the  honors  of  war,  and  to  be  furnished  a  free 
passage  to  England  under  promise  of  not  again  serv- 
ing against  the  Americans.  These  terms  were  not 
carried  out  by  Congress,  which  acted  in  the  matter 
very  dishonorably,  and  most  of  the  captured  army, 
with  the  exception  of  Burgoyne,  Riedesel,  Phillips,  and 
8 


58  Introduction. 

Hamilton,  were  retained  as  prisoners  while  the  war 
lasted.  The  Americans  obtained  by  this  victory,  at 
a  very  critical  period,  an  excellent  train  of  brass  artil- 
lery, consisting  of  forty-two  guns  of  various  calibre, 
4647  muskets,  400  sets  of  harness  and  a  large  supply 
of  ammunition.  The  prisoners  numbered  5804,  and 
the  entire  American  force  at  the  time  of  the  surren- 
der, including  regulars  (Continentals)  and  militia, 
was  17,091  effective  men. 

At  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  1 7th,  the 
royal  army  left  their  fortified  camp,  and  formed  in 
line  on  the  meadow  just  north  of  Fish  Creek,  at  its 
junction  with  the  Hudson.  Here  they  left  their 
cannon  and  small-arms.  With  a  longing  eye  the 
artillery-man  looked  for  the  last  time  upon  his  faithful 
gun,  parting  with  it  as  from  his  bride,  and  that  forever. 
With  tears  trickling  down  his  bronzed  cheeks,  the 
bearded  grenadier  stacked  his  musket  to  resume  it 
no  more.  Others  in  their  rage,  knocked  off  the 
butts  of  their  arms,  and  the  drummers  stamped  their 
drums  to  pieces. 

Immediately  after  the  surrender,  the  British  took 
up  their  march  for  Boston,  whence  they  expected  to 
embark,  and  bivouacked  the  first  night  at  their  old 
encampment  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  where  Fraser  was 
buried.  As  they  debouched  from  the  meadow,  hav- 
ing deposited  their  arms,  they  passed  between  the 
Continentals,  who  were  drawn  up  in  parallel  lines. 
But  on  no  face  did  they  see  exultation.  "  As  we 
passed  the  American  army,"  writes  Lieutenant  An- 


Introduction.  59 

bury,  one  of  the  captured  officers,  and  bitterly  pre- 
judiced against  his  conquerers,  "  I  did  not  observe  the 
least  disrespect,  or  even  a  taunting  look,  but  all  was 
mute  astonishment  and  pity;  and  it  gave  us  no  little 
comfort  to  notice  this  civil  deportment  to  a  captured 
enemy,  unsullied  with  the  exulting  air  of  victors." 

The  English  general  having  expressed  a  desire  to 
be  formally  introduced  to  Gates,  Wilkinson  arranged 
an  interview  a  few  moments  after  the  capitulation. 
In  anticipation  of  this  meeting,  Burgoyne  had  be- 
stowed the  greatest  care  upon  his  whole  toilet.  He 
had  attired  himself  in  full  court  dress,  and  wore  costly 
regimentals  and  a  richly  decorated  hat  with  stream- 
ing plumes.  Gates,  on  the  contrary,  was  dressed 
merely  in  a  plain  blue  overcoat,  which  had  upon  it 
scarcely  any  thing  indicative  of  his  rank.  Upon  the 
two  generals  first  catching  a  glimpse  of  each  other, 
they  stepped  forward  simultaneously,  and  advanced 
until  they  were  only  a  few  steps  apart,  when  they 
halted.  The  English  general  took  off  his  hat,  and 
making  a  polite  bow,  said,  "  The  fortune  of  war, 
General  Gates,  has  made  me  your  prisoner."  The 
American  general,  in  reply,  simply  returned  his  greet- 
ing, and  said,  "  I  shall  always  be  ready  to  testify  that 
it  has  not  been  through  any  fault  of  your  excellency." 
As  soon  as  the  introduction  was  over,  the  other  cap- 
tive generals  repaired  to  the  tent  of  Gates,  where 
they  were  received  with  the  utmost  courtesy,  and 
with  the  consideration  due  to  brave  but  unfortunate 
men. 


60  Introduction. 

After  Riedesel  had  been  presented  to  Gates,  he 
sent  for  his  wife  and  children.  It  is  to  this  circum- 
stance that  we  owe  the  portraiture  of  a  lovely  trait 
in  General  Schuyler's  character.  "  In  the  passage 
through  the  American  camp,"  the  baroness  writes, 
"  I  observed,  with  great  satisfaction,  that  no  one  cast 
at  us  scornful  glances  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  all 
greeted  me,  even  showing  compassion  on  their 
countenances  at  seeing  a  mother  with  her  little  chil- 
dren in  such  a  situation.  I  confess  I  feared  to  come 
into  the  enemy's  camp,  as  the  thing  was  so  entirely 
new  to  me.  When  I  approached  the  tents,  a  noble  look- 
ing man  came  toward  me,  took  the  children  out  of 
the  wagon,  embraced  and  kissed  them,  and  then,  with 
tears  in  his  eyes,  helped  me  also  to  alight.  He  then 
led  me  to  the  tent  of  General  Gates,  with  whom  I 
found  Generals  Burgoyne  and  Philips,  who  were  upon 
an  extremely  friendly  footing  with  him.  Presently 
the  man,  who  had  received  me  so  kindly,  came  up 
and  said  to  me,  'It  may  be  embarrassing  to  you  to 
dine  with  all  these  gentlemen  ;  come  now  with  your 
children  into  my  tent,  where  I  will  give  you,  it  is  true, 
a  frugal  meal,  but  one  that  will  be  accompanied  by 
the  best  of  wishes.'  'You  are  certainly,'  answered  I, 
'  a  husband  and  a  father,  since  you  show  me  so  much 
kindness.'  I  then  learned  that  he  was  the  American 
General  Schuyler." 

*  In  Randall's  Life  of  Jefferson,  we  have  a  picture 
of  the  Riedesels  in  their  temporary  Virginia  home. 
As  this  is  not  given  in  my  translation  of  Madame 


Introduction.  6 1 

The  English  and  German  generals  dined  with  the 
American  commander  in  his  tent  on  boards  laid  across 
barrels.  The  dinner,  which  was  served  up  in  four 
dishes,  consisted  only  of  ordinary  viands,  the  Ameri- 
cans at  this  period  being  accustomed  to  plain  and 
frugal  meals.  The  drink  on  this  occasion  was  cider, 
and  rum  mixed  with  water.  Burgoyne  appeared  in 
excellent  humor.  He  talked  a  great  deal,  and  spoke 
very  flatteringly  of  the  Americans,  remarking,  among 
other  things,  that  he  admired  the  number,  dress,  and 
discipline  of  their  army,  and  above  all,  the  decorum 

(Baroness)    Riedesel's  Letters,  I  here  quote  it  in  full 
-showing,  as  it  does,  the  personal   appearance  of 
that  lady  —  to  which,  she  would  not,  of  course,  advert 
in  her  "  Letters  :  " 

"  General  Riedesel  rented  and  lived  at  Colle,  the 
seat  of  Philip  Mazzai,  a  short  distance  from  the  eastern 
base  of  Monticello.  Himself  and  theBaroness 
were  frequent  visitors  of  Mr.  Jefferson — the  latter 
especially,  who  in  every  domestic  strait  (not  an  ex- 
traordinary thing  with  an  ill-regulated  commissariat 
and  four  thousand  extra  mouths)  applied  to  him  with 
the  freedom  of  an  old  neighbor.  Her  Amazonian 
stature  and  practice  of  riding  like  a  man,  greatly  as- 
tonished the  Virginian  natives  ;  but  tradition  repre- 
sents her  as  a  cordial,  warm-hearted,  highly  intelligent, 
and,  withal,  handsome  woman,  whose  moderate  pen- 
chant for  gossip,  and  not  unfrequent  blunders  in  talk- 
ing and  pronouncing  English,  only  contributed  to  the 
amusingness  of  her  lively  conversation,  Were  we  a 
racounteur,  we  could  give  some  specimens  of  these 
blunders,  with  which  in  after  years  Mr.  Madison  was 
'  wont  to  set  the  table  in  a  roar.' 


62  Introduction. 

and  regularity  that  were  observed.  "  Your  fund  of 
men,"  he  said  to  Gates,  "is  inexhaustible;  like  the 
Hydra's  head,  when  cut  off,  seven  more  spring  up  in 
its  stead."  He  also  proposed  a  toast  to  General 
Washington  —  an  attention  that  Gates  returned  by 
drinking  the  health  of  the  King  of  England.  The 
conversation  on  both  sides  was  unrestrained,  affable, 
and  free.  Indeed,  the  conduct  of  Gates  throughout, 
after  the  terms  of  the  surrender  had  been  adjusted, 
was  marked  with  equal  delicacy  and  magnanimity,  as 
Burgoyne  himself  admitted  in  a  letter  to  the  Earl  of 
Derby.  In  that  letter  the  captive  general  particularly 
mentioned  one  circumstance,  which,  he  said,  exceeded 
all  he  had  ever  seen  or  read  of  on  a  like  occasion. 
It  was  that  when  the  British  soldiers  had  marched 
out  of  their  camp  to  the  place  where  they  were  to 
pile  their  arms,  not  a  man  of  the  American  troops  was 
to  be  seen,  General  Gates  having  ordered  the  whole 
army  out  of  sight,  that  not  one  of  them  should  be  a 
spectator  of  the  humiliation  of  the  British  troops. 
This  was  a  refinement  of  delicacy  and  of  military 
generosity  and  politeness,  reflecting  the  highest  credit 
upon  the  conqueror. 

As  the  company  rose  from  table,  the  royal  army 
filed  past  on  their  march  to  the  seaboard.  There- 
upon, by  preconcerted  arrangement,  the  two  generals 
stepped  out,  and  Burgoyne,  drawing  his  sword,  pre- 
sented it,  in  the  presence  of  the  two  armies,  to  General 
Gates.  The  latter  received  it  with  a  courteous  bow, 
and  immediately  returned  it  to  the  vanquished  general. 


VISIT  OF  THE  MARQUIS  DE  CHASTELLUX,*  TO 

THE  BATTLE  AND  SURRENDER  GROUNDS, 

IN  DECEMBER,   1780. 


Chastellux,  while  at  Albany,  accepts  the  invitation 
of  General  Schuyler,  to  visit,  under  his  escort,  the 
Saratoga  Battle  Grounds,  and  thus  writes  : 

*  *    At  dinner,  all  of  the  company  who  were  to  be 
of  the  Saratoga  party,  collected  at  my  lodgings,  and 
we  went  afterwards  to  General  Schuyler's  to  settle 
matters  for  our  journey  ;  and,  in  consequence,  set  out 
the    next   day  at  sunrise   in   five    different   sledges. 
General  Schuyler  took  me  in  his  own.      We  passed 
the  Mohawk  river  on  the  ice,  a  mile  above  the  Cataract 
[Cohoes  falls].     We  went  a  little  astray  in  the  woods 
we  had  to  pass  to  reach  the  high-road.     We  came 
into  it  between  Half -Moon  and  Stillwater.     A  mile 

*  Francois  Jean,   Marquis  de    Chastellux,   French 
Author,  b.   Paris,    1734,  d.   there  October   28,   1788. 
He  entered  the  army  when  fifteen  years  of  age,  and 
distinguished  himself  as  Colonel  of  a  regiment  in  the 
"  Seven  Years  War."     "  He   accompanied   Rocham- 
beau  to  America  in    1780,  as  a  Major  General,  and 
gained  the  affection  of  Washington,  by  his  amiability 
of  character;  and  on  his  return  to  France,  he  was  made 
a  Field  Marshal.     After  the  capture  of  Cornwallis, 


64  Marquis  de  Chastellux  s  Letter. 

thence  I  saw  on  the  left  an  opening  in  the  wood,  and 
a  pretty  extensive  plain,  below  which  runs  a  creek, 
and  observed  to  General  Schuyler  that  there  must  be 
a  good  position  there.  He  told  me  I  was  not  de- 
ceived, and  that  it  had  been  reconnoitered  for  that 
purpose  in  case  of  need.  The  creek  is  called  An- 
thony's Rill,  the  word  ^  riir  amongst  the  Dutch 
having  the  same  signification  as  creek  with  the 
Americans.*  Three  miles  further  on  we  traversed  a 
hamlet  called  Stillwater  Landing-Place,  for  it  is  here 

he  obtained  leave  of  absence  which  he  used  in  travel- 
ing extensively  in  the  United  States.  His  observa- 
tions and  adventures  during  this  time,  were  the  basis 
of  his  "  Voyage  dans  1'Amerique  Septentrionale  dans 
les  annees,  1780-2,"  (2  vols.  Paris,  1786.  English 
translation  by  George  Grieve,  London,  1787.)  A 
portion  of  this  work  was  set  up  by  compositors  on 
the  vessel  which  carried  him  back  to  France  with 
Rochambeau.  The  work  contains  notices  of  the 
natural  history  of  the  country,  interesting  details  of 
the  localities,  and  events  of  the  war  (of  which  the 
above  letter  is  an  example)  and  observations  on  the 
chief  actors  in  it.  Chastellux  married  a  Miss 
Plunket,  a  lady  of  Irish  descent,  the  year  before  his 
death.  He  was  made  a  member  of  the  French 
Academy  in  1775.  Perhaps,  it  was  as  well  that 
Chastellux  died  in  1 788,  before  the  "  Reign  of  Terror  " 
had  obtained  full  control,  since,  he  would  doubtless 
have  been  guillotined  together  with  his  compatriot, 
the  Compte  d'Estaing. 

*  Chastellux  probably  failed  to  catch  the  pronun- 
ciation, as  the  word  is  kill,  not  rill. 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  65 

that  boats  coming  down  from  Saratoga  are  obliged 
to  stop  to  avoid  the  rapids.  Hence  there  is  a  port- 
age of  eight  or  ten  miles  to  the  place  where  the  river 
is  navigable.  I  imagine  the  name  of  Stillwater  is 
derived  from  its  tranquility  here  previous  to  the 
commencement  of  the  rapids.*  General  Schuyler 
showed  me  some  redoubts  he  had  constructed  to  de- 
fend the  park  where  his  boats  and  provisions  were 
collected,  after  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Anne  and  Fort 

*  A  mill-stone  now  doing  duty  in  Jno.  B.  New- 
land's  grist-mill  has  a  history.  It  is  a  well-known 
historical  fact  that  at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's  cam- 
paign in  this  section  the  wheat  crop  was  harvested 
and  was  standing  in  shocks  in  the  fields.  As  the 
British  advanced,  Captain  Palmer,  grandfather  of 
John  Patrick,  Esq.,  and  father  of  Ashbel  Palmer, 
conceived  the  idea  that  the  mill-stone  should  not  be 
guilty  of  the  treasonable  act  of  furnishing  aid  and 
comfort  to  the  enemy.  But  it  would  not  do  to  break 
it,  as  it  was  the  only  stone  in  all  this  section  at  the 
time ;  and,  besides,  it  came  from  foreign  parts  and 
cost  a  deal  of  money.  So  a  raft  was  constructed,  and 
during  the  still  hours  of  the  night  the  captain,  with  a 
band  of  men,  placed  the  stone  on  board  the  frail 
craft  and  worked  their  way  out  over  the  rapids  until 
two-thirds  of  the  Hudson  was  crossed,  when  they 
deposited  their  load  in  a  hole  in  the  swift-running 
water,  at  a  depth  of  about  ten  feet.  When  the  last 
vestige  of  the  once  grand  army  had  disappeared,  the 
stone  was  fished  up  from  its  watery  bed,  and  at  this 
late  day  experienced  millers  pronounce  it  the  cham- 
pion stone  in  this  vicinity. — Schuylerville  Standard, 
May  9,  1884. 
9 


66  Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter. 

Edward.  We  stopped  there  to  refresh  our  horses. 
The  general  had  given  the  rendezvous  to  a  militia 
officer,  called  Swang,  who  lives  in  this  neighborhood, 
and  served  in  the  army  of  General  Gates.  He  put 
me  into  his  hands  and  continued  his  route  to  Sara- 
toga, to  prepare  our  reception.  I  presently  got  into 
a  sledge  with  my  guide,  and,  at  the  end  of  three 
miles,  we  saw  two  houses  on  the  bank  of  the  river. 
It  was  here  that  General  Gates  had  his  right,  and  his 
bridge  of  boats,  defended  by  a  redoubt  on  each  bank. 
We  alighted  to  examine  this  interesting  position, 
which  disappointed  all  the  hopes  of  Burgoyne  and 
prepared  his  ruin.  I  shall  attempt  to  give  some  idea 
of  it,  which,  though  incomplete  indeed,  may  throw 
some  light  on  the  relations  of  General  Burgoyne  and 
even  serve  to  rectify  his  errors. 

The  eminences  called  Brearris  Heights  [Bemus's 
Heights],  whence  this  famous  camp  is  named,  are 
only  a  part  of  those  high  grounds  which  extend  along 
the  right  bank  of  the  Hudson,  from  the  river  Mo- 
hawk to  that  of  Saratoga.  At  the  spot  chosen  by 
General  Gates  for  his  position,  they  form,  on  the 
side  of  the  river,  two  different  slopes,  or  terraces.  In 
mounting  the  first  slope,  are  three  redoubts  placed 
in  parallel  directions.  In  front  of  the  last,  on  the 
north  side,  is  a  little  hollow,  beyond  which  the  ground 
rises  again,  on  which  are  three  more  redoubts,  placed 
nearly  in  the  same  direction  as  the  former.  In  front 
of  them  is  a  deep  ravine  which  runs  from  the  west, 
in  which  is  a  small  creek.  This  ravine  takes  its  rise 


Marquis  de  Ckastclluxs  Letter.  67 

in  the  woods,  and  all  the  ground  on  the  right  of  it  is 
extremely  thick  set  with  wood.  If  you  will  now  re- 
turn upon  your  steps,  place  yourself  upon  the  first 
redoubts  you  spoke  of,  and  mount  to  the  second 
slope  proceeding  to  the  westward,  you  will  find,  on 
the  most  elevated  platform,  a  large  entrenchment 
which  was  parallel  with  the  river,  and  then  turns  to- 
wards the  north-west,  where  it  terminates  in  some 
pretty  deep  summits,  which  were  likewise  fortified  by 
small  redoubts.  To  the  left  of  these  heights,  and  at 
a  place  where  the  declivity  becomes  more  gentle, 
begins  another  entrenchment  which  turns  towards 
the  west,  and  makes  two  or  three  angles,  always  car- 
ried over  the  tops  of  the  heights  to  the  south-west. 
Towards  the  north-west,  you  come  out  of  the  lines 
to  descend  another  platform,  which  presents  a  posi- 
tion the  more  favorable,  as  it  commands  the  sur- 
rounding woods,  and  resists  every  thing  which  might 
turn  the  left  flank  of  the  army.  It  is  here  that  Ar- 
nold was  encamped  with  the  advanced  guard. 

If  you  descend  again  from  this  height,  proceeding 
toward  the  north,  you  are  presently  in  the  midst  of 
woods  near  Freeman  s  Farm  and  on  the  ground 
where  the  actions  of  the  iQth  of  September,  and  the 
7th  of  October  happened.*  I  avoid  the  wordfatd  of 

*"  Freeman's  Farm,"  was  owned  at  the  time  of 
the  Battle,  by  Isaac  Leggett,  and  subsequently  by 
his  son  Ebenezer.  The  late  Mrs.  Mary  Maxwell,  of 
Quaker  Springs  (mother  of  the  late  Anthony  Max- 
well, of  Old  Saratoga),  was  a  young  woman  at  the 


68  Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter. 

battle,  for  these  two  engagements  were  in  the  woods, 
and  on  ground  so  intersected  and  covered,  that  it  is 
impossible  either  to  conceive  or  discover  the  smallest 
resemblance  between  it  and  the  place  given  to  the  public, 
by  General Burgoyne*  But  what  appears  to  me  very 

time  of  the  battle.  She  lived  with  her  father  (Isaac 
Leggett)  on  the  battle-ground,  but  left  and  went  to 
Albany  just  before  the  action  of  the  iQth  of  Septem- 
ber took  place.  She  saw  Gates  and  Burgoyne  ride 
into  that  city  side  by  side.  Before  leaving  her  home, 
she,  with  her  mother  and  sisters,  had  been  summoned 
into  the  presence  of  Gates  and  Arnold  to  learn  if  her 
father,  who  was  a  Quaker  and  sympathized  with  the 
King,  had  not  sold  provisions  to  the  enemy.  Re- 
garding this  she  knew  nothing  and  so  declared. 
Arnold,  however,  was  disposed  to  doubt  her  word, 
when,  perceiving  this,  she  replied:  "  If  thee  knows 
better  than  I,  why  did  thee  ask  me?"  On  which 
Gates  (always,  notwithstanding  his  faults,  a  perfect 
gentleman  in  all  which  that  much  abused  term  im- 
plies) said:  "  Don't  be  too  hard  on  the  young 
woman."  When  they  left  the  farm,  $300  in  gold 
was  placed  under  one  of  the  stones  of  the  cellar-floor. 
It  was  undisturbed  when  they  returned  a  few  months 
afterward.  Mrs.  Maxwell  lived  to  a  great  age,  and 
was  to  the  last,  distinguished  for  her  remarkable 
conversational  powers.  Indeed,  it  is  remarkable  how 
many  of  the  Revolutionary  era  lived  to  remarkable 
ages.  See  on  this  point  the  late  Dr.  Draper's  "  Bat- 
tle of  King's  Mountain. 

*  This  is  not  accurate.  A  person  familiar  with 
the  ground,  and  with  Burgoyne's  maps  before  him, 
would  have  no  difficulty  whatever.  If  this  is  so  in 
1895,  how  much  more  in  1780. 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  69 

clear  is,  that  this  general  who  was  encamped  about 
four  miles  from  the  camp  of  Breams  Heights,  wishing 
to  approach  and  reconnoiter  the  avenues  to  it, 
marched  through  the  woods  in  four  columns,*  and 
that  having  several  ravines  to  pass,  he  made  General 
Fraser,  with  the  advanced  guard,  turn  them  at  their 
origin;  that  two  other  columns  traversed  the  ra- 
vines and  the  woods,  as  well  as  they  could,  without 
either  communicating  or  materially  waiting  for  each 
other;  that  the  left  column,  composed  of  artillery, 
followed  the  course  of  the  river,  where  the  grounds 
were  level,  and  built  bridges  over  the  ravines  and 
rivulets,  which  are  deeper  on  that  side,  as  they  all 
terminate  in  the  river  ;  that  the  engagement  first  be- 
gan with  the  riflemen  and  American  militia,  who  were 
supported  as  necessity  required,  without  any  prior 
disposition ;  that  the  advanced  guard  and  the  right 
column  were  the  first  engaged,  and  that  the  combat 
lasted  until  the  columns  on  the  left  arrived,  that  is  to 
say,  till  sunset;  that  the  Americans  then  retired  to 
their  camp,  where  they  had  taken  care  to  convey  their 
wounded  ;  that  the  English  advanced  guard  and  the 
right  column  greatly  suffered,  both  one  and  the  other 
having  been  very  long  engaged  in  the  woods  without 
any  support.f 

*  This  is  correct.  See  my  map  in  Burgoyne's 
Campaign." 

f  The  curious  reader  will  find  a  detailed  account 
of  this  action  in  my  "  Burgoyne's  Campaign." 


jo  Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter. 

General  Burgoyne  purchased  dearly  the  frivolous 
honor  of  sleeping  on  the  field  of  battle  :  he  now  en- 
camped at  Freeman's  Farm,  so  near  the  American 
camp  that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  manoeuvre,  so 
that  he  found  himself  in  the  situation  of  a  chess- 
player who  suffers  himself  to  be  state-mated.*  In 
this  position  he  remained  until  the  yth  of  October, 
when,  seeing  his  provisions  expended,  hearing  nothing 
of  Clinton,  and  being  too  near  the  enemy  to  retreat 
without  danger,  he  tried  a  second  attack  and  again 
made  an  attempt  for  his  advanced  guard  to  turn  the 
left.  The  enemy,  with  whom  the  woods  were  filled, 
penetrated  his  design,  themselves  turned  the  left 
flank  of  the  corps  with  theirs,  put  them  to  rout  and 
pursued  them  so  far  as  to  find  themselves,  without 
knowing  it,  opposite  the  camp  of  the  Germans.  This 
camp  was  situated  en  potence,  and  a  little  in  the  rear 
of  the  line.f  Arnold  and  Lincoln,  animated  with 
success,  attacked  and  carried  the  entrenchments  ;  both 
of  them  had  bought  the  victory  at  the  price  of  their 
blood  ;  each  of  them  had  a  leg  broke  with  a  musquet 
shotj  I  saw  the  spot  where  Arnold,  uniting  the 

'  This  simile  is  not  quite  correct,  as  Burgoyne 
received  here  his  first  check  —  ending  in  a  checkmate 
subsequently. 

f  Now  known  as  "  Burgoyne's  Hill" — one  of  the 
sites  marked  by  a  tablet  by  General  J.  Watts  de 
Peyster.  See  frontispiece. 

JA  mistake,  which  Heath,  in  his  Memoirs,  also  falls 
into.  Lincoln  was  wounded  the  next  day  (the  8th) 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  71 

hardiness  of  a  jockey  with  that  of  a  soldier,  leaped 
his  horse  over  the  entrenchment  of  the  enemy.  It 
was  like  all  those  of  this  country,  a  sort  of  parapet, 
formed  by  the  trunks  of  trees  piled  one  upon  another. 
This  action  was  very  brisk,  to  which  the  fir  trees 
[pines]  which  are  torn  by  musquet  and  cannon-shot, 
will  long  be  as  testimony ;  for  the  term  of  their  ex- 
istence seems  as  remote,  as  is  the  period  of  their 
origin. 

I  continued  reconnoitering  here  till  night ;  some- 
times walking  in  the  snow,  where  I  sunk  to  the  knees, 
and  sometimes  travelling  still  less  successfully  in  a 
sledge,  my  conductor  having  taken  care  to  overset 
me,  very  gently  indeed,  in  a  great  heap  of  snow. 
After  surveying  Burgoyne's  lines,  I  at  length  got 
down  to  the  high  road,  passing  through  a  field  where 
he  had  established  his  hospital.  We  then  travelled 
more  easily,  and  I  got  to  Saratoga  at  seven  in  the 
evening  ;  and  after  a  severe  and  thirty  miles  journey, 
we  found  good  rooms,  well  warmed,  an  excellent  sup- 
per, and  had  a  gay  and  agreeable  conversation  ;  for 
General  Schuyler,  like  many  European  husbands,  is 
still  more  amiable  when  he  is  absent  from  his  wife. 
He  gave  us  instructions  for  our  next  day's  expedition. 

The  3ist  we  got  on  horseback  at  eight  o'clock,  and 

while  reconnoitering  the  enemys'  position.  See  my 
Burgoynes  campaign.  It  is  true,  however,  that  Lin- 
coln was  wounded  in  the  leg — but  the  limb  was  not 
broken. 


72  Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter. 

Mr.  Schuyler  conducted  us  himself  to  the  camp  occu- 
pied by  the  English  when  General  Burgoyne  capitu- 
lated. We  could  not  have  had  a  better  guide,  but  he 
was  absolutely  necessary  for  us  in  every  respect,  for 
besides  that  this  event  happened  before  his  eyes,  and 
that  he  was  better  able  than  anybody  to  give  us  an 
account  of  it,  no  person  but  the  proprietor  of  the 
ground  himself  was  able  to  conduct  us  safely  through 
the  woods;  the  fences  and  entrenchments  being  cov- 
ered a  foot  deep  with  snow. 

In  throwing  your  eyes  upon  the  chart  you  will  see 
that  Saratoga  is  situated  upon  the  bank  of  a  small 
river  [more  properly  creek],  which  comes  from  a  lake 
of  that  name  and  falls  into  the  Hudson.  On  the 
right  bank  of  the  Fish-Kill,  the  name  of  that  little 
river,  stood  formerly  a  handsome  country-house,  be- 
longing to  General  Schuyler :  a  large  farm  depend- 
ing on  it,  two  or  three  saw-mills,  a  meeting-house  and 
three  or  four  middling  houses,  composed  all  the 
habitations  of  this  celebrated  place,  the  name  of 
which  will  be  handed  down  to  the  latest  posterity. 
After  the  affair  of  the  7th  of  October,  General  Bur- 
goyne began  his  retreat.  He  marched  in  the  night 
between  the  8th  and  gth,  but  did  not  pass  the  creek 
till  the  1 3th,  so  much  difficulty  he  had  in  dragging 
his  artillery,  which  he  persisted  in  preserving,  altho' 
the  greatest  part  of  his  horses  were  killed  or  dead 
with  hunger.  He  took  four  days,  therefore,  to  retire 
eight  miles,  which  gave  the  Americans  time  to  follow 
him  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Hudson,  and  to  get  be- 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  73 

fore  him  on  the  left  bank,  when  they  occupied  in 
force  all  the  passages.  General  Burgoyne  had 
scarcely  reached  the  other  side  of  the  creek  before 
he  set  fire  to  General  Schuyler's  house,  rather  from 
malice  than  for  the  safety  of  his  army,*  since  this 

*  In  justice  to  Burgoyne,  however,  it  may  be  well 
on  this  point,  to  quote  from  his  speech  in  the  House 
of  Commons,  in  answer  to  a  call  upon  him  by  Mr. 
Wilkes,  for  explanation  respecting  the  burning  of  the 
country  during  the  progress  of  the  army  under  his 
command  : 

"I  am  ignorant,"  said  Burgoyne,  "of  any  such 
circumstance.  I  do  not  recollect  more  than  one 
accident  by  fire.  I  positively  assert  there  was  no 
fire  by  order,  or  countenance  of  myself,  or  any  other 
officer,  except  at  Saratoga.  That  district  is  the 
property  of  Major-General  Schuyler,  of  the  American 
troops;  there  were  large  barracks  built  by  him,  which 
took  fire  the  day  after  the  army  arrived  on  the 
ground  in  their  retreat ;  and  I  believe,  I  need  not 
state  any  other  proof  of  that  matter  being  merely 
accident,  than  that  the  barracks  were  then  made  use 
of  as  my  hospital,  and  full  of  sick  and  wounded  sol- 
diers. General  Schuyler  had  likewise  a  very  good 
dwelling-house,  great  saw-mills,  etc.,  to  the  value, 
perhaps,  of  ten  thousand  pounds.  A  few  days  be- 
fore the  negotiation  with  General  Gates,  the  enemy 
had  formed  a  plan  to  attack  me  ;  a  large  column  of 
troops  was  approaching  to  pass  the  small  river  [Fish 
Creek/not  the  Hudson  into  which  it  empties,  is  here 
meant]  preparatory  to  a  general  action,  and  was 
entirely  covered  from  the  fire  of  my  artillery  by  these 
buildings.  Sir,  I  avow  that  I  gave  the  order  to  set 
10 


74  Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter. 

house,  situated  in  a  bottom,  could  afford  no  advantage 
to  the  Americans,  and  he  left  the  farms  [Sic,  barn?] 

them  on  fire  ;  and  in  a  very  short  time  the  whole 
property,  I  have  described,  was  consumed.  But,  to 
show  that  the  person  most  deeply  concerned  in  that 
calamity,  did  not  put  the  construction  upon  it  which 
it  has  pleased  the  honorable  gentleman  to  do,  I  must 
inform  the  House,  that  one  of  the  first  persons  I  saw, 
after  the  Convention  was  signed,  was  General  Schuy- 
ler. I  expressed  to  him  my  regret  at  the  event 
which  had  happened,  and  the  reasons  which  occa- 
sioned it.  He  desired  me  to  think  no  more  of  it ; 
said  that  the  occasion  justified  it,  according  to  the 
principles  and  rules  of  war,  and  he  should  have  done 
the  same,  upon  the  same  occasion,  or  words  to  that 
effect.  [*]  He  did  more — he  sent  an  Aide-de-Camp  to 
conduct  me  to  Albany,  in  order,  as  he  expressed  it, 
to  procure  me  better  quarters  than  a  stranger  might 
be  able  to  find.  This  gentleman  conducted  me  to  a 
very  elegant  house,  and  to  my  great  surprise,  pre- 
sented me  to  Mrs.  Schuyler  and  her  family ;  and  in 
this  general's  house  I  remained  during  my  whole 
stay  at  Albany,  with  a  table  of  more  than  twenty 

[*]  This  was  all  the  more  praiseworthy  on  Schuy- 
ler s  part  —  since  he  lost  the  whole  of  his  property 
at  Saratoga  by  this  fire  —  the  Continental  Congress 
(so  far  as  I  can  ascertain)  never  having  reimbursed 
him  one  penny.  Shameful,  but  true.  In  fact,  every 
thing  goes  to  show  that  Schuyler  was  a  true  gentle- 
man —  this  very  fact,  however,  in  the  estimation  of 
the  Continental  Congress  (composed  of  many  pa- 
triots, but,  also,  of  many  envious  boors)  was  sufficient 
to  bring  Schuyler  into  disrepute. 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  75 

standing,  which  is  at  present  the  only  asylum  for  its 


owner.* 


It  is  here  that  Mr.  Schuyler  lodged  us  in  some  tem- 
porary apartments  he  fitted  up,  until  happier  times 

courses  for  me  and  my  friends,  and  every  other  pos- 
sible demonstration  of  hospitality;  a  situation,  pain- 
ful as  it  is  true  in  point  of  sensibility  at  the  time,  but 
which  I  now  contemplate  with  some  satisfaction,  as 
carrying  undeniable  testimony  how  little  I  deserved 
the  charges  of  the  honorable  gentleman." 

*  This  shows,  most  conclusively,  that  the  tradition 
— still  current — of  General  Schuyler's  house  having 
been  rebuilt,  by  Gates'  soldiers  in  ten  days  after  its 
destruction  by  fire  is  entirely  false.  Schuyler,  him- 
self, also,  in  a  letter  to  Congress,  dated  "Saratoga, 
Nov.  4,  1777"  (See  N.  Y.  His.  Col.  for  1879,  pg. 
191)  writes  :  "  On  the  2d  inst.  two  British  officers,  on 
their  return  to  Canada,  took  shelter  in  a  violent 
storm  of  rain,  in  my  little  hut,  the  only  remains  of 
all  my  buildings  in  this  quarter.  One  was  attached  to 
Gen.  Carleton,  the  other  to  Gen.  Burgoyne,  etc." 
Of  course,  if  Schuyler's  house  had  been  rebuilt,  he 
would  not  have  entertained  the  officers  in  a  "hut !" 
So  much  for  tradition,  which,  unless,  corroborated 
by  facts,  written  down  at  the  time,  is  a  very  poor 
guide  to  follow.  At  the  same  time,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  places  of  historical  interest  —  so  far  as 
pertains  to  the  Revolutionary  war — is  Schuyler- 
ville,  and  especially  the  "  Schuyler  Mansion."  As 
above  hinted,  the  latter  is  situated  about  four  hun- 
dred feet  from  the  one  burned  by  Burgoyne,  the  first 
foundation  being  on  a  line  with  the  western  bank  of 
the  Champlain  canal,  the  remainder  of  the  substruc- 


76  Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter. 

allow  him  to  build  another  house.  The  creek  runs 
between  two  steep  ascents,  the  summits  of  which 

ture  being  removed  by  the  canal  excavation.  The 
great  road  to  the  ford  passed  eastward  of  it.  The 
fording  place  was  in  that  part  of  the  Fish  kill  or 
creek  opposite  the  ruins  of  the  burned  buildings  of 
Raymond's  steam  saw  mill,  and  a  short  distance  east 
of  the  aqueduct.  The  property  had  been  inherited 
by  General  Schuyler  from  his  uncle,  John  Philip 
Schuyler,  who  had  been  shot  on  the  morning  of  the 
29th  of  November,  1745,  while  heroically  defending 
his  house  from  an  attack  of  French  and  Indians. 
Shortly  after  the  declaration  of  peace  between  Eng- 
land and  France  in  1763,  Major  Philip  Schuyler  (sub- 
sequently General),  visited  his  landed  possessions  at 
Saratoga,  in  which  he  not  only  often  entertained  Ben- 
jamin Franklin  and  other  distinguished  Americans, 
but  also  hospitably  received  as  his  guests  many  of  the 
titled  nobility  of  England  and  France.  Although  the 
General  had  a  large  and  comfortable  residence  in 
Albany,  his  country  house  on  the  banks  of  the  Fish 
kill  was  more  attractive  to  him  and  his  family,  and 
here  nine  months  during  the  year  he  was  generally  to 
be  found.  The  antiquarian  finds  in  this  roomy  man- 
sion, the  main  building  having  a  frontage  of  sixty  feet 
and  a  depth  of  thirty-five  feet,  one  of  the  most  attrac- 
tive collections  of  books,  furniture,  wares,  relics  and 
curiosities  to  be  found  north  of  Albany.  The  verita- 
ble skull  of  Thomas  Lovelass  is  to  be  seen,  who  was 
one  of  a  party  of  five  Tories  and  spies  captured  in 
the  neighborhood,  and  who  having  been  tried  and 
condemned  by  a  court-martial  at  the  barracks  at  Sar- 
atoga, at  this  place,  of  which  military  court  General 
Stark  was  president,  was  hung  on  a  gallows  during  a 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  77 

are  about  the  same  height ;  it  then  descends  by  sev- 
eral rapids  which  turn  the  mills;*  then  the  ground  is 
more  open,  and  continues  so  to  the  North  River  [the 
Hudson];  that  is  to  say,  for  half  a  mile.  As  to 
General  Burgoyne's  position,  it  is  difficult  to  describe 
it,  because  the  ground  is  so  very  irregular,  and  the 
General,  finding  himself  surrounded,  was  obliged  to 

terrific  rain  storm,  and  afterwards  perpendicularly 
buried  in  the  gravel  bank  opposite  the  Strover  man- 
sion. When  the  bank  was  dug  into  for  the  purpose 
of  procuring  gravel  the  body  was  disinterred  and  the 
skull  was  taken  into  keeping  by  the  late  Colonel 
Strover,  who  was  wont  to  show  it  to  curiosity-seekers. 
Also,  a  number  of  Indian  tomahawks  made  of  stone; 
a  great  variety  of  stone  arrow  heads  ;  a  large  eight- 
inch  shell;  an  iron  weed  axe;  iron  wedges;  a  petrified 
honeycomb  found  in  the  Fish  kill ;  a  string  of  brass 
beads  dug  from  an  Indian  squaw's  grave  at  the  time 
of  the  French  and  Indian  war;  a  number  of  silver 
shoe  and  knee  buckles  ;  a  bolt  from  a  burned  door 
of  the  old  General  Schuyler  House  ;  an  iron  pulley 
from  the  old  mill  ;  an  old  and  peculiarly  constructed 
door  lock  and  key  ;  burglar  proof,  attached  to  the 
front  door  of  the  present  mansion.  Indeed,  the 
spacious  and  comfortable  rooms  of  the  Schuyler 
mansion,  with  its  large  closets,  its  bright,  large  fig- 
ured wall  paper,  the  grand  furniture,  windows,  doors, 
pictures,  etc.,  make  it  a  very  desirable  home  as  well 
as  a  pleasant  place  of  resort.  Colonel  Strover,  the 
late  owner  of  this  mansion,  and  who  died  October  5, 
1886,  was  born  March  12,  1791,  near  Bryant's  Bridge 
in  the  town  of  "  Old  Saratoga." 
*The  same  as  it  is  to-day  (1895). 


78  Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter. 

divide  his  troops  into  three  camps,  forming  three 
different  fronts  ;  one  facing  the  creek,  another  Hud- 
son's River,  and  the  third  the  mountains  to  the  west- 
ward. General  Burgoyne's  plan  gives  a  tolerably 
just  idea  of  this  position,  which  was  not  ill  taken,  and 
is  only  defective  on  the  side  of  the  Germans,  where 
the  ground  forms  a  rising,  the  declivity  of  which  was 
against  them.  All  that  is  necessary  to  observe  is, 
that  the  woods  continually  rise  toward  the  west ;  so 
that  the  General  might  very  well  occupy  some  advan- 
tageous eminences,  but  never  the  summits.  Accord- 
ingly, General  Gates,  who  arrived  at  Saratoga  almost 
as  soon  as  the  English,  passed  two  thousand  men  over 
the  creek,  with  orders  to  begin  to  fire  on  the  I4th, 
and  considerably  incommoded  the  English.  General 
Schuyler  criticises  this  position  ;  he  pretends  that  this 
corps  was  so  advanced  as  to  be  in  danger,  without 
being  strong  enough  to  oppose  the  retreat  of  the 
enemy.  But  when  we  consider  that  these  two  thou- 
sand men  were  posted  in  very  thick  woods ;  that  they 
were  protected  by  abatis  ;  had  a  secure  retreat  in  the 
immense  forest  in  their  rear,  and  that  they  had 
only  to  harrass  a  flying  enemy,  whose  courage  was 
broken,  every  military  man  will  think  with  me, 
that  this  was  rather  the  criticism  of  a  severe  rival, 
than  of  a  well  informed  and  methodical  tactician. 
Be  this  as  it  may,  it  is  very  certain  that  Burgoyne 
had  no  other  alternative  than  to  let  his  troops  be 
slaughtered,  or  capitulate.  His  army  had  only 
five  days  provision,  and  it  was  impossible  for  him  to 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  79 

retain  his  position.  It  was  proposed  to  him  to  restore 
an  old  bridge  of  boats,  which  had  been  constructed 
in  the  very  front  of  his  camp  ;  but  a  corps  of  two 
thousand  men  were  already  posted  on  the  heights  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  where  they  had  raised 
a  battery  of  two  pieces  of  cannon.  Had  he  under- 
taken to  remount  by  the  right  bank,  to  attain  the 
fords  which  are  near  Fort  Edward,  he  had  ravines  to 
pass  and  bridges  to  repair  ;  besides  that,  these  defiles 
were  already  occupied  by  the  militia,  and  the  vanguard 
alone  must  have  been  engaged  with  them,  whilst  he 
had  a  whole  army  on  his  rear  and  on  his  flanks.  He 
had  scarce  time  to  deliberate  —  the  cannon  shot 
began  to  pour  into  the  camp,  one  of  which  fell  in  the 
house  where  the  council  of  war  was  holding  and 
obliged  them  to  quit  it  to  take  refuge  in  the  woods.* 
Let  us  now  compare  the  situation  of  General  Bur- 
goyne,  collecting  his  trophies  and  publishing  his 
insolent  manifesto  at  Ticonderoga,f  with  that  in 

*  Not  ''the  house."  It  was  a  tent ;  and  the  cir- 
cumstances were  these :  that  during  a  dinner  of 
Burgoyne  and  his  staff  a  cannon-ball  from  Gates's 
batteries  took  off  from  the  table  a  leg  of  mutton 
which  Burgoyne  was  just  beginning  to  carve.  The 
little  breastworks  which  were  thrown  around  the  tent 
are  still  (1895)  to  be  seen.  This  ground  is  now 
(1895)  owned  by  Mr.  Charles  W.  May  hew,  of  Schuy- 
lerville,  N.  Y. 

f  A  mistake.  This  "  insolent  manifesto  "  was  issued 
from  Burgoyne's  camp  on  the  River  Racquet,  on 
Lake  Champlain,  before  he  had  reached  Ticonderoga. 


So  Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter. 

which  he  now  stood,  when,  vanquished  and  sur- 
rounded, as  he  was,  by  a  troop  of  peasants,  not  a 
place  was  left  him  even  to  discuss  the  terms  of  sup- 
plication. I  confess  that  when  I  was  conducted  to 
the  spot  where  the  English  laid  down  their  arms, 
and  to  that  where  they  filed  off  before  Gates's 
army,  I  could  not  but  partake  of  the  triumph  of  the 
Americans,  and  at  the  same  time  admire  their  magna- 
nimity ;  for  the  soldiers  and  officers  beheld  their 
presumptuous  and  sanguinary  enemies  pass  without 
offering  the  smallest  insult,  without  suffering  an  in- 
sulting smile  or  jesture  to  escape  them.  This  majes- 
tic silence  conveyed  a  very  striking  refutation  of  the 
vain  declarations  of  the  English  general,  and  seemed 
to  attest  all  the  rights  of  our  allies  to  the  victory.* 

*  Chastellux  does  not  state  one  incident  of  this 
occasion.  The  piling  of  the  arms  was,  it  is  true,  done 
amid  profound  silence  and  without  any  attempt  to 
further  humiliate  the  British.  The  instant,  however, 
that  the  march  southward  began,  the  American  bands 
struck  up  "  Yankee  Doodle"  This  was  unforseen, 
and  it  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  both  armies.  This  song  had  been  set  to 
music  by  a  facetious  English  surgeon  at  Lake  George 
during  the  French  war,  in  playful  ridicule  of  some 
raw  companies  of  Provincials  who  had  come  to  the 
frontiers  to  assist  Loudon  in  his  campaign  against 
the  French.  The  Provincials  were  gay,  if  not  dis- 
ciplined, and  the  surgeon  made  music  out  of  their 
\y  primitive  notes  of  mirth.  From  the  moment  it  was 
played  at  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne  it  has  been  one 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  81 

Chance  alone  gave  rise  to  an  allusion  with  which 
General  Burgoyne  was  very  sensibly  affected.  It  is 
the  custom  in  England,  and  in  America,  on  approach- 
ing any  person  for  the  first  time,  to  say,  /  am  very 
happy  to  see  you.  General  Gates  chanced  to  make 
use  of  this  expression  in  accosting  General  Burgoyne : 
"  I believe  you  are"  replied  the  general,  "  the  future 
of  the  day  is  entirely  yours."  General  Gates  pre- 
tended to  give  no  attention  to  this  answer,  and  con- 
ducted Burgoyne  to  his  headquarters,  where  he  gave 
him  a  good  dinner,  as  well  as  to  the  principal  part  of 
the  English  officers.  Everybody  ate  and  drank 
heartily,  and  seemed  mutually  to  forget  their  mis- 
fortune, or  their  successes.* 

of  our  national  airs.  For  a  fuller  account  of  the 
origin  of  "  Yankee  Doodle,"  see  my  "  Burgoyne  Bal- 
lads," pp.  20  and  60. 

*  Speaking  of  the  surrender,  General  de  Peyster, 
who,  with  General  Rogers,  is  the  most  authoritative 
writer  on  the  Burgoyne  Campaign,  says: 

"  History  and  tradition  agree,  moreover,  in  their 
accounts  of  the  contrast  of  the  details  presented,  per- 
sonally, by  the  British  and  American,  the  royal  and 
rebels  or  patriots,  commanders  at  the  ceremony  of  the 
surrender.  Burgoyne,  like  Lee  at  Appomattox  Court 
House,  was  gotten  up  with  the  most  fastidious  atten- 
tion, for  the  occasion;  whereas,  Gates,  like  Grant,  dis- 
played a  negligent  simplicity.  Burgoyne  resembled  an 
officer  of  the  ancient  Greek  Phalanx  in  its  glory.  He 
towered  and  shone  in  crimson  and  gold,  beplumed, 
embroidered,  and  bedecked  with  feathers,  lace,  rib- 
bons, orders  and  decorations.  Gates  does  not  ap- 
ii 


82  Marquis  de  Chastclluxs  Letter. 

Before  dinner,  and  at  the  moment  when  the 
Americans  were  striving  who  should  entertain  the 
English  officers,  somebody  came  to  ask  where  Ma- 
pear  to  have  worn  any  uniform,  unless  a  simple  blue 
frock  coat  was  then  considered  "  undress." 

The  contrast,  however,  between  the  conquered  and 
the  factitious  conqueror  (both  Englishmen)  was  not 
as  great  as  between  both,  but  especially  the  latter, 
and  the  real  factor  of  this  triumph  (an  American.) 
The  hero  who  made  such  a  success  possible,  the  real 
hero,  the  great  man,  Schuyler,  appeared  at  the  sur- 
render as  a  simple  citizen,  deprived  of  his  command 
-in  dark  brown  clothes,  not  in  uniform — to  see  the 
arrogant  little  man  Gates,  who  supplanted  him,  enjoy 
the  honors  of  the  triumph  and  harvest  the  reward. 

"  But  on  this  simple  spectator  in  plain  civil  habili- 
ments, the  eyes  of  the  defeated  generals  were  fixed 
rather  than  upon  the  one  in  semi-military  costume, 
to  whom  they  had  to  deliver  up  their  side  arms.  If 
Burgoyne  could  not  tender  his  sword  to  Schuyler  in 
his  modest  citizen  suit,  and  if  he  could  not  surrender 
his  arms  to  him  as  he  had  to  do  to  his  nominal  con- 
queror, he  nevertheless  could  still  offer  him  his  ac- 
knowledgments, as  to  his  moral  vanquisher  —  victor 
chiefest  of  all  in  magnanimity. 

"  Reflecting  upon  all  this  the  following  question 
presents  itself:  If  Burgoyne  and  his  officers  could 
have  preserved  their  uniforms  in  such  'apple-pie 
order*  and  perfection  of  display,  how  is  it  possible 
to  believe  in  the  accounts  of  the  utter  destitution  of 
his  army ;  or  did  the  higher  officers  sacrifice  every- 
thing and  everybody  to  secure  their  own  comforts 
and  their  paraphernalia  for  their  arrogant  display  ? 
A  great  deal  which  enlists  sympathy  becomes  doubt- 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  83 

dame  Riedesel,  the  wife  of  the  Brunswick  general, 
was  to  be  conducted.  Mr.  Schuyler.  who  had  fol- 
lowed the  army  as  a  volunteer,  since  he  had  quitted 

ful  in  the  light  of  close  scrutiny.  Great  discomfort 
among  the  high  officials,  privation  among  their  sub- 
ordinates, and  misery  throughout  the  rank  and  file, 
were  experienced,  but  the  whole  seems  invested  with 
an  atmosphere  of  exaggeration  for  the  very  purpose 
of  serving  as  an  excuse  for  the  '  Surrender.'  All  this 
must  impress  itself  on  a  critic,  who  is  at  once  careful 
in  examination,  clear  in  comparisons  of  facts,  and 
stern  in  judgment. 

"  Almost  all  the  different  accounts  agree  in  regard 
to  the  courtesies  which  attended  the  meeting  of  the 
generals  opposed,  but  the  following  set-off  is  found 
in  a  French  book  : 

"  Burgoyne,  who  wished  to  pass  for  a  wit,  had 
often  spoken  of  Gates  as  a  man  without  talents,  and 
designated  him,  in  common  conversation,  as  the 
4  mid-wife.'  Although  Gates  was  aware  of  the  sar- 
casms, he  behaved  with  great  generosity.  His  only 
retaliation  was  a  witticism  which  must  have  cut  Bur- 
goyne to  the  quick,  because  wits  seldom  relish  a 
defeat  with  their  own  weapons.  '  You  must  now  ac- 
knowledge,' he  said  to  Burgoyne  after  the  surrender, 
'  that  I  am  a  successful  4  mid-wife,'  for  I  have  safely 
delivered  you  of  six  thousand  men.' 

"  Gates,  thus  termed  in  sarcasm  the  '  man-mid- 
wife,' and  accidentally  present  at  the  proper  moment 
—although  he  had  not  superintended  the  progress  of 
the  terrible  and  protracted  labor — did  absolutely  play 
the  part  of  an  accoucheur,  and  ushered  into  being  a 
new  nation — a  NEW  WORLD.  Creasy,  as  often  stated, 
regards  the  issue  of  the  battles  styled  '  Saratoga,'  and 


84  Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter. 

the  command,  ordered  her  to  be  shown  to  his  tent, 
where  he  went  soon  after,  and  found  her  trembling 
and  speechless,  expecting  to  find  in  every  American 
a  savage,  like  those  who  had  followed  the  English 
army.  She  had  with  her  two  charming  little  girls,* 
about  six  or  seven  years  old.  General  Schuyler  ca- 
ressed them  greatly ;  the  sight  of  this  touched 
Madame  de  Riedesel  and  removed  her  apprehension 
in  an  instant:  "  You  are  tender  and  sensible?'  said 

the  resulting  'Surrender'  as  the  Thirteenth  of  the 
'  Fifteen  Decisive  Battles  of  the  World  from  Mara- 
thon to  Waterloo.' 

"  The  surrender  of  Burgoyne  is  also  one  of  the 
many  historical  associations  which  have  signalized 
the  7th  of  October.  Apart  from  the  tradition  which 
gives  it  the  honor  of  William  the  Conqueror's  land- 
ing in  England,  it  has  that  of  the  great  events  so 
strangely  interwoven  with  the  career  of  the  Bur- 
goyne family.  It  witnessed  General  Burgoyne's 
acceptance  of  the  command  that  brought  him  to 
America,  and  also  his  final  overthrow  at  Saratoga  in 
1777,  resulting  in  the  surrender  of  himself  and  his 
whole  army.  On  the  same  memorable  day  his 
famous  son,  Sir  John  Burgoyne,  completed  the  land- 
ing of  the  siege-guns  and  material  used  ten  days  later 
in  the  first  bombardment  of  Sebastopol  ;  and  the 
4  family  anniversary '  subsequently  acquired  a  sad- 
der renown  by  the  death  of  Sir  John  himself.  The 
victory,  also,  of  King's  Mountain  occurred  on  this 
memorable  date  —  the  7th  of  October." 

*  For  the  after  career  of  these  two  little  girls,  see 
my  "Life  of  Madame  Riedesel." 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  85 

she,  "you  must  be  generous,  and  I  am  happy  to  have 
fallen  into  your  hands." 

In  consequence  of  the  capitulation,  the  English 
army  was  conducted  to  Boston.  During  their  march 
the  troops  encamped,  but  lodgings  were  to  be  pro- 
cured for  the  Generals,  and  there  being  some  diffi- 
culty in  procuring  near  Albany  a  proper  quarter  for 
General  Burgoyne  and  his  suite,  Mr.  Schuyler  offered 
him  his  handsome  house.  He  was  himself  detained 
by  business  at  Saratoga,  where  he  remained  to  visit 
the  ruins  of  his  other  house,  which  General  Burgoyne 
had  just  destroyed  ;*  but  he  wrote  to  his  wife  to  pre- 
pare every  thing  for  giving  him  the  best  reception, 
and  his  intentions  were  perfectly  fulfilled.  Burgoyne 
was  extremely  well  received  by  Mrs.  Schuyler,  and 
her  little  family  ;f  he  was  lodged  in  the  best  apart- 
ment in  the  house.  An  excellent  supper  was  served 
him  in  the  evening,  the  honors  of  which  were  done 
with  so  much  grace,  that  he  was  affected  even  to 
tears,  and  could  not  help  saying  with  a  deep  sigh, 
"  Indeed,  this  is  doing  too  much  for  the  man  who  has 
ravaged  their  lands,  and  burnt  their  asylum."  The 
next  morning,  however,  he  was  again  reminded  of  his 
disgrace  by  an  adventure  which  would  have  ap- 

*  See  note  ante  about  the   building  of   Schuyler's 
new  house. 

f  Mrs.  Schuyler —  judging  by  our  present  ladies- 
could  not  have  had  much  bric-a-brac  destroyed  in  the 
burning  of  her  house,  else  she  would  not  have  given 
Burgoyne  so  kind  a  reception  ! 


86  Marquis  de  Chastellnxs  Letter. 

peared  gay  to  any  but  him.  It  was,  however,  inno- 
cently that  he  was  thus  afflicted.  His  bed  was  pre- 
pared in  a  large  room,  but  as  he  had  a  numerous 
suite,  or  family,  several  mattresses  were  spread  upon 
the  floor  for  some  officers  to  sleep  near  him.  Mr. 
Schuyler's  second  son,  a  little  spoilt  child  of  about 
seven  years  old,  very  forward  and  arch,  as  all  the 
American  children  are,  but  very  amiable,  was  running 
all  the  morning  about  the  house,  according  to  cus- 
tom, and  opening  the  door  of  the  saloon,  he  burst  out 
a  laughing  on  seeing  all  the  English  collected,  and 
shut  it  after  him,  crying,  "  Ye  are  all  my  prisoners" 
This  stroke  of  nature  was  cruel  and  rendered  them 
more  melancholy  than  the  preceding  evening.* 

*"The  boy  who  said  he  took  Burgoyne  prisoner 
was  John  Bradstreet  Schuyler,  eldest  son  of  Gen. 
Philip  Schuyler.  He  was  14  years  of  age  in  1777. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Van  Rensselaer,  daughter  of 
the  patroon,  on  the  i8th  September,  1787,  and  died 
in  his  father's  house  in  Albany,  at  the  age  of  32. 
Although  so  young  he  was  one  of  the  trustees  of 
Williamstown  college,  Massachusetts.  His  disease 
was  a  fever  contracted  while  on  a  business  trip  for 
his  father  up  the  Mohawk  valley.  The  only  child  of 
this  John  Bradstreet  Schuyler,  born  1762,  died  1795, 
was  Philip  Schuyler,  of  Schuylerville,  Saratoga  Co , 
N.  Y.,  born  in  1788.  He  married  Grace  Hunter  in 
1811,  and  died  at  his  country  seat  at  Pelham,  West- 
chester  Co.,  in  1865.  John  Schuyler,  of  New  York 
city,  civil  engineer,  historian,  etc.,  was  only  son  of 
Philip,  and  with  him  ends  the  eldest  male  line  of 
Major-General  Philip  Schuyler,  the  real  check-mater, 


Marquis  de  Chastelluxs  Letter.  87 

I  hope  I  shall  be  pardoned  these  little  anecdotes, 
which  only  appeared  interesting  to  myself,  perhaps 
solely  from  their  proceeding  from  the  source,*  and 
being  acquired  upon  the  spot.  Besides,  a  plain 
Journal  merits  some  indulgence,  and  when  one  does 
not  write  history,  it  is  allowable  to  write  little  stories. 
Henceforth,  I  have  only  to  take  leave  of  General 
Schuyler,  detained  by  business  at  Saratoga,  and  to 
tread  back  my  steps  as  fast  as  possible  to  Newport. 

In  repassing  near  Breams  Heights  and  Stillwater, 
I  had  again  an  opportunity  to  examine  the  right 
flank  of  General  Burgoyne's  camp,  of  which  it  seems 
to  me  that  his  plan  gives  a  pretty  accurate  idea.  I 
was  assured  that  I  might  return  to  Albany  by  the 
eastern  road,  but  on  arriving  at  Half-Moon  I  learnt 
that  the  ice  was  broke  in  several  places,  so  that,  after 
reposing  some  time  in  a  handsome  inn,  kept  by 
Madame  People  (a  Dutchman's  widow),  I  took  the 
road  by  the  Mohawk  river,  which  I  passed  without 
accident,  and  arrived  at  Albany  about  six  in  the 
evening. 

overthrower  of  Burgoyne,  or  who  "burgoyned  Bur- 
goyne."  Letter  of  Gen.  J.  Watts  de  Peyster  to  the 
editor. 

*  I.  E.}  Gen.  Schuyler. 


VISIT   TO   THE   BATTLE  GROUNDS   IN    1791    BY 

MRS.  DWIGHT,  MOTHER   OF   THE  LATE 

DR.  THEODORE   DWIGHT. 


"  My  mother,  who  possessed  a  most  accurate  mem- 
ory, furnished  me  with  the  following  account  of  a 
visit  she  made  to  the  Saratoga  Battle  Ground  and 
the  Springs  in  1791.  I  give  it  nearly  in  the  words  in 
which  I  received  it. —  The  late  Theodore  Dwight  to 
the  editor. 

"  The  party  originally  consisted  of  five,  three  gen- 
tlemen and  two  ladies,  who   travelled  with  the  gigs 
(then  called  chairs)  and  a  saddle-horse.     Their  first 
plan  was  to   proceed  only  to  '  Lebanon  Pool,'  now 
known  as   Lebanon  Springs  and   after  a  short  visit 
there  to  return  ;  some    of    their    friends,    who    had 
spent  a  little  time  there   in   preceding  years,  having 
made  a  pleasing   report  of  the  place.     The  grand- 
mother of  one  of  them,  it   was   recollected,  had  re- 
turned from  'the   Pool'  one   pleasant  day  before  the 
Revolution,  and  dismounted  from  her  side  saddle,  in 
a  dark  colored  jersey  and  petticoat,  with  the  dignity 
proverbial  of  those   old   times,  yet  told  of  her  cook- 
ing for  dinner  the  pease  picked  by  the  gentlemen  at 
that  ancient  watering  place. 


Mrs.  Dwighfs  Letter.  89 

"  From  Hartford  the  party  proceeded  westward ; 
and  some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the  fashions  from 
the  dress  of  one  of  the  ladies,  who  wore  a  black 
beaver  with  a  sugar-loaf  crown,  eight  or  nine  inches 
high,  called  a  steeple  crown,  wound  round  with  black 
and  red  cord  and  tassels,  being  less  showy  than  the 
gold  cord  sometimes  worn.  Habits  having  gone  out 
of  fashion,  the  dress  was  of  '  London  smoke '  broad- 
cloth buttoned  down  in  front  and  at  the  side  with 
twenty-four  gilt  buttons,  about  the  size  of  a  half  dol- 
lar. Long  waists  and  stays  were  in  fashion,  and  the 
shoes  were  extremely  sharp-toed  and  high-heeled, 
ornamented  with  large  paste  buckles  on  the  instep. 
At  a  tavern  where  we  spent  the  first  night,  the  ladies 
were  obliged  to  surround  themselves  with  a  barrier 
of  bean-leaves  to  keep  off  the  bugs  which  infested 
the  place  ;  but  this  afforded  only  temporary  benefit, 
as  the  vermin  soon  crept  to  the  ceiling  and  fell  upon 
them  from  above.  The  Green  Woods,  through  which 
the  road  lay  for  many  miles,  were  very  rough,  and  in 
many  places  could  not  be  traveled  in  carriages  with- 
out danger.  We  scarcely  met  anybody  on  this  part 
of  the  way,  except  an  old  man  with  a  long  white 
beard,  who  looked  like  a  palmer  on  a  pilgrimage  to 
the  Holy  Land  ;  and  his  wife  —  who  rode  a  horse  on 
a  saddle  with  a  projecting  pummel,  then  called  a  pan- 
nel,  and  a  single  iron  chain  for  a  bridle — was  as 
ugly  as  one  of  Shakspeare's  old  crones. 

"  The  few  habitations  to  be  seen  were  so  uninviting^ 
that  we  usually  took  our  meals  in  the  open  air,  in 
12 


go  Mrs.  Dwighfs  Letter. 

some  pleasant  spot  under  the  trees,  and  often  by  the 
side  of  a  brook,  the  recollection  of  which  is  pleasant 
even  to  this  day.  After  three  days  we  reached  Hud- 
son, where  we  were  introduced  to  a  very  pleasant  cir- 
cle by  a  friend  who  resided  in  the  place,  and  after 
sufficient  repose  we  proceeded.  A  gentleman,  who 
had  come  to  attend  a  ball,  here  joined  the  party, 
sending  a  messenger  home  for  clothes  ;  and  although 
he  did  not  receive  them,  and  had  only  his  dancing 
dress,  persisted  in  proceeding  with  us.  He  mounted 
his  horse,  therefore,  in  a  suit  of  white  broadcloth, 
with  powdered  hair,  small-clothes,  and  white  silk 
stockings.  While  at  Hudson,  it  had  been  determined 
that  we  would  go  directly  to  Saratoga,  where  several 
of  the  inhabitants  of  Hudson  then  were;  the  efficacy 
of  the  water  in  restoring  health  being  much  cele- 
brated, as  well  as  the  curious  round  and  hollow  rock 
from  which  it  flowed.  Hudson  was  a  flourishing  vil- 
lage, although  it  had  been  settled  but  about  seven 
years,  by  people  from  Nantucket  and  Rhode  Island. 
"In  the  afternoon  the  prospect  of  a  storm  made 
us  hasten  our  gait,  and  we  stopped  for  the  night  at  an 
old  Dutch  house,  which,  notwithstanding  the  uncouth 
aspect  of  a  fireplace  without  jams,  was  a  welcome 
retreat  from  the  weather.  The  thunder,  lightning 
and  rain  soon  came  on,  and  prevailed  for  some  hours, 
but  left  a  clear  sky  in  the  morning,  when  our  party 
proceeded  and  reached  Albany  at  breakfast-time. 
Some  of  our  party  were  greatly  alarmed  at  the  sight 
of  an  old  woman  at  a  door  in  one  of  the  streets, 


Mrs.  Dwighfs  Letter.  91 

with  her  face  shockingly  disfigured  by  the  small-pox, 
in  a  state  of  activity,  for  one  of  the  ladies  had  never 
had  that  disease,  and  was  near  enough  to  be  exposed 
to  the  contagion.  By  the  presence  of  mind  of  her 
companions,  however,  she  was  prevented  from  ob- 
serving the  painful  object,  and  from  such  apprehen- 
sion as  they  felt  for  her,  until  the  time  for  the  appear- 
ance of  the  disease  had  passed.  The  old  Dutch 
church,  with  its  pointed  roof  and  great  window  of 
painted  glass,  stood  at  that  time,  at  the  foot  of  State 
street. 

"At  Troy,  where  we  took  tea,  there  were  only 
about  a  dozen  houses;  the  place  having  been  settled 
only  three  years  by  people  from  Killingworth,  Say- 
brook,  and  other  towns  in  Connecticut.  Lansing- 
burgh  was  an  older  and  more  considerable  town  ; 
containing  apparently  more  than  a  hundred  houses, 
and  inhabited  principally  by  emigrants  from  the  same 
state.  The  tavern  was  a  very  good  one ;  but  the 
inhabitants  were  so  hospitable  to  the  party,  who  were 
known  through  mutual  friends,  that  the  time  was 
spent  almost  entirely  at  private  houses.  After  a 
delay  of  two  nights  and  a  day,  we  proceeded  on 
our  journey.  Crossing  the  Hudson  to  Waterford 
by  a  ferry,  we  went  back  as  far  as  the  Mohawk  to 
see  the  Cohoes  Falls,  of  which  we  had  a  fine  view 
from  the  northern  bank,  riding  along  the  brow  of  the 
precipice  in  going  and  returning. 

"  On  the  road  to  the  Mohawk  we  met  a  party  of 
some  of  the  most  respectable  citizens  of  Albany  in 


92  Mrs.  Dwighfs  Letter. 

a  common  country  wagon,  without  a  cover,  with 
straw  under  feet,  and  with  wooden  chairs  for  seats  ; 
their  family  coach  being  too  heavy  for  short  excur- 
sions. Two  gentlemen  on  horseback,  in  their  com- 
pany, finding  that  we  were  going  to  Saratoga,  offered 
to  accompany  us  to  the  scene  of  the  Battle  of  Beh- 
mus  Heights,  and  thither  we  proceeded  after  visiting 
Cohoes. 

We  dined  at  the  house  which  was  General  Bur- 
goyne's   headquarters    in    1777;*    and    one    of    the 

*  A  mistake  which  Lossing  and  Neilson  both  fall 
into.  Burgoyne's  headquarters  were  on  high  ground 
-the  farm  (1894)  of  Mr.  Wilbur.  The  "  Brunswick 
Journal"  is  very  explicit  in  stating  that  "  Burgoyne 
camped  between  the  English  and  German  troops  on 
the  heights  at  the  left  wing."  This  statement,  more- 
over, receives  additional  confirmation  by  the  follow- 
ing incident,  viz.:  On  one  of  my  visits  to  the 
battle-ground,  I  pointed  out  to  Mr.  Wilbur  (on 
whose  land  we  were  then  standing)  the  place  desig- 
nated by  the  "Brunswick  Journal"  and  Burgoyne's 
map  —  which  I  then  held  in  my  hand  —  as  Burgoyne's 
headquarters.  "  That,"  exclaimed  Mr.  Wilbur,  "  ex- 
plains what  I  have  often  wondered  at."  He  then 
stated  that  when  he  first  plowed  up  that  particular 
spot  he  was  accustomed  to  find  great  quantities  of 
old  gin  and  wine  bottles ;  and  that  until  my  explana- 
tion he  had  often  been  puzzled  to  know  "  how  on 
earth  those  bottles  came  there ! "  See  map  in  my 
" Burgoyne s  Campaign" 

The  house  mentioned  by  Mrs.  Dwight,  and  which 
was  formerly  known  as  the   "Taylor   House,"  and 


Mrs.  Dwighfs  Letter.  93 

females  who  attended  us  was  there  during  the  battle. 
She  informed  us  of  many  particulars,  and  showed  us 
a  spot  upon  the  floor  which  was  stained  with  the 
blood  of  General  Eraser,  who,  she  added,  when 
brought  in  mortally  wounded  from  the  field,  was  laid 
upon  the  very  table  at  which  we  were  seated.  Dur- 
ing the  funeral,  she  also  stated,  the  American  troops, 
who  had  got  into  the  rear  of  the  British  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,*  and  had  been  firing  on 
the  house,  on  discovering  the  cause  of  the  procession 
up  the  steep  hill,  where  Fraser  had  requested  to  be 
interred,  not  only  ceased  firing,  but  played  a  dead 
march  in  compliment  to  his  memory. 

On  leaving  the  battle-ground  for  Saratoga  Lake* 
our  party  was  reduced  to  four  by  the  loss  of  the  four 

since  as  the  "  Smith  House,"  stood  in  tolerable  pre- 
servation until  1864.  The  site  is  now  (1894)  marked 
by  a  few  of  the  foundation  stones  and  a  small  poplar 
tree.  At  the  time  of  the  battles  it  stood  under  the 
knoll  where  Fraser  was  buried,  but  was  afterward 
moved  down  to  the  bank  of  the  Hudson,  on  the  right 
hand  of  the  river  road,  going  south.  Also,  in  this 
connection,  see,  in  advance,  Professor  Silliman's  visit 
to  the  battle-ground  for  his  reflections  on  the  death 
of  Fraser,  while  tarrying  all  night  at  this  house. 

*  While  Burgoyne,  with  his  army,  was  at  Saratoga, 
the  Indians  were  in  the  habit  of  supplying  his  table 
with  delicious  trout,  caught  in  Saratoga  Lake.  In- 
deed, a  few  of  these  fish  continued  to  be  caught  in 
that  beautiful  sheet  of  water  as  late  as  1843.  See 
Col.  W.  L.  Stone's  letter  to  the  Commercial  Adver- 


94  .  Mrs.  Dwighfs  Letter. 

gentlemen,  two  of  whom,  however,  intended  to  over- 
take us,  if  possible,  before  night.  The  country  we 
had  to  pass  over,  after  leaving  the  Hudson,  was  very 
uninteresting  and  uninhabited.  The  road  lay  through 
a  forest,  and  was  formed  of  logs.  [This  was  un- 
doubtedly the  road  cut  through  from  the  present 
village  of  Schuylerville,  by  General  Schuyler,  in 
1783.]  We  traveled  till  late  in  the  afternoon  before 
we  reached  a  house,  to  which  we  had  been  directed 
for  our  lodging.  It  stood  in  a  solitary  place,  in  an 
opening  of  the  dark  forest,  and  had  so  comfortless 
an  appearance  that  without  approaching  to  take  a 
near  view  or  alighting,  we  determined  to  proceed 
further.  [Probably  the  site  of  the  present  "  old  Pot- 
ter Tavern/'  now  "  Birch's,"  a  mile  from  Stafford's 
Bridge.] 

It  was  a  wretched  log  hut,  with  only  one  door, 
which  had  never  been  on  hinges,  was  to  be  lifted  by 
every  person  coming  in  or  going  out,  and  had  no 
fastening  except  a  few  nails.  We  halted  at  the  right 
of  it,  and  one  of  the  gentlemen  rode  up  to  take  a 
nearer  view.  Standing  up  in  his  saddle,  he  peeped 
into  a  square  hole  which  served  as  a  window,  but  had 
no  glass  nor  shutter,  and  found  the  floor  the  bare 
earth,  with  scarcely  any  furniture  to  be  seen.  Nothing 
remained  for  us  but  to  proceed  and  make  our  way  to 

User.  The  last  trout  was  caught  through  the  ice  in 
the  winter  of  1860,  by  the  late  Daniel  Shepherd,  of 
Saratoga  Springs. 


Mrs.  Dwighfs  Letter.  95 

the  Springs  as  fast  as  possible  ;  for  we  knew  of  no 
human  habitation  nearer,  and  when  or  how  we  might 
hope  to  reach  there  we  could  not  tell.  We  were  for 
a  time  extremely  dispirited,  until  the  gentleman  who 
had  joined  us  at  Hudson  came  forward  (still  in  his 
ball  dress)  and  endeavored  to  encourage  us,  saying 
that  if  we  would  trust  to  his  guidance  he  doubted  not 
that  he  should  be  able  to  conduct  us  safely  and 
speedily  to  a  more  comfortable  habitation. 

This  raised  our  hopes,  and  we  followed  him  cheer- 
fully, though  the  day  was  now  at  its  close,  and  the 
forest  seemed  thicker  and  darker  than  before.  When 
the  last  light  at  length  had  disappeared,  and  we  found 
ourselves  in  deeper  gloom,  our  guide  confessed  that 
he  had  encouraged  us  to  keep  us  from  despair,  and 
as  to  any  knowledge  of  the  road,  he  had  never  been 
there  before  in  his  life.  He,  however,  dismounted, 
tied  his  horse  behind  our  chair,  and  taking  the  bridle 
of  our  own,  began  to  lead  him  on,  groping  his  way 
as  well  as  he  was  able,  stepping  into  one  mud-hole 
after  another  without  regard  to  his  silk  stockings, 
sometimes  up  to  his  beauish  knee-buckles.  It  seemed 
as  if  we  were  going  for  a  long  time  down  a  steep  hill 
into  some  bottomless  pit ;  and  every  few  minutes  one 
wheel  would  pass  over  a  log  or  a  stump  so  high  as 
almost  to  overset  us.  At  length  we  insisted  on  stop- 
ping, and  spent  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  anxiety  and 
doubt,  being  unable  to  determine  what  we  had  better 
do.  We  heard  the  voices  of  animals  in  the  woods, 
which  some  of  us  feared  might  attack  us.  At  length 


96  Mrs.  Dwights  Letter. 

one  of  the  gentlemen  declared  that  a  sound  which  we 
had  heard  for  some  time  at  a  distance  could  not  be 
the  howl  of  a  wolf,  for  which  we  had  taken  it,  but 
must  be  the  barking  of  a  wolf-dog,  and  indicated  that 
the  habitation  of  its  master  was  not  very  far  off,  pro- 
posing to  go  in  search  of  it.  The  gentlemen  were 
unwilling  to  leave  us  alone  ;  but  we  insisted  that  they 
might  need  each  other's  assistance,  and  made  them 
go  together.  But  it  was  a  long  time  before  we  heard 
from  them  again.  How  long  they  were  gone  I  do 
not  know,  for  we  soon  became  impatient  and 
alarmed ;  but  at  length  we  discovered  a  light  among 
the  trees,  which,  shining  upon  the  trunks  and  boughs, 
made  a  beautiful  vista,  like  an  endless  Gothic  arch, 
and  showed  a  thousand  tall  columns  on  both  sides. 
We  discovered  them  returning,  accompanied  by  two 
men,  who  led  us  off  the  road,  and  stuck  up  lighted 
pine  knots  to  guide  our  friends. 

"  Under  their  guidance  we  found  our  way  to  a  log- 
house,  containing  but  one  room,  and  destitute  of 
every  thing  except  hospitable  inhabitants ;  so  that, 
although  we  were  admitted,  we  found  we  should  be 
obliged  to  make  such  arrangements  as  we  could  for 
sleeping.  There  was  no  lamp  nor  candle,  light  being 
supplied  by  pine  knots  stuck  in  the  crevices  of  the 
walls.  The  conversation  of  the  family  proved  that 
wild  beasts  were  very  numerous  and  bold  in  the  sur- 
rounding forest,  and  that  they  sometimes,  when  hun- 
gry, approached  the  house  ;  and  there  was  a  large 
aperture  left  at  the  bottom  of  the  door  to  admit  the 


Mrs.   Dwighfs  Letter.  97 

dogs  when  in  danger  from  wolves.*  The  floor  ex- 
tended on  one  side  but  to  within  the  distance  of 
several  feet  of  the  wall,  a  space  being  left  to  kindle 
the  fire  upon  the  bare  ground,  and  when  we  wanted 
tea  made,  the  mistress  of  the  house  could  produce 
only  a  single  kettle,  in  which  water  was  boiled  for 
washing  and  every  other  purpose.  She  had  heard  of 
teakettles,  but  had  never  seen  one,  and  was  impressed 
with  an  idea  of  the  usefulness  of  such  a  utensil. 
When  we  had  spread  the  table,  out  of  our  own  stores, 
and  divided  tea-cups  and  saucers,  a  porringer,  &c., 
among  us,  we  seated  ourselves,  partly  on  the  bed- 
stead and  partly  on  a  kind  of  arm-chair,  which  was 
formed  by  an  old  round  table  when  raised  perpen- 
dicularly, and  thus  partook  of  a  meal. 

"  We  were,  however,  suddenly  alarmed  by  cries  or 
screams  at  a  little  distance  in  the  forest,  which  some 
of  us  supposed  to  be  those  of  wolves  or  bears.  Our 
host,  after  listening  a  while,  declared  his  belief  that 
they  were  the  cries  of  some  travelers  who  had 
lost  their  way,  and  proceeded  with  the  gentlemen 
to  search  for  them.  They  found  our  two  expected 
friends,  who  had  followed  the  path  lighted  by  the 
torches,  but  unfortunately  wandered  from  it  a  little, 

*  The  vicinity  of  Saratoga  Lake  seems  in  early 
Revolutionary  times  to  have  been  a  great  place  for 
wolves.  The  late  Amos  Stafford  —  one  of  the  sur- 
vivors of  the  Wyoming  Massacre  —  who  settled  on 
the  banks  of  Fish  Creek,  paid  for  his  farm  by  the 
bounties  he  received  from  the  wolves  he  killed. 

13 


98  Mrs.  Dwighfs  Letter. 

and  soon  found  before  them  a  wall  too  high  to  reach 
from  their  stirrups.  They  attempted  to  retreat,  but 
found  it  also  behind  them,  and  though  they  rode 
round  and  round,  feeling  for  a  place  of  exit,  could 
find  none,  and  then  began  to  call  for  assistance,  hop- 
ing that  some  dwelling  might  be  within  the  reach  of 
their  voices.  Being  happily  relieved  and  restored  to 
us,  the  adventures  of  the  evening  served  as  a  subject 
of  pleasantry.  They  had  unconsciously  entered  a 
pound  or  pen  for  bears,  by  a  very  narrow  entrance, 
which,  in  the  darkness  they  could  not  find  again,  and 
thus  their  embarrassment  was  fully  explained.*  We 
slept  that  night  on  our  luggage  and  saddles,  but  our 
hospitable  hosts  refused  all  reward  in  the  morning. 
44  On  reaching  the  springs  at  Saratoga,  we  found 
but  three  habitations,  and  those  poor  log-houses,  on 
the  high  bank  of  the  meadow,  where  is  now  the  west- 
ern side  of  the  street,  near  the  Round  Rock.*  This 
was  the  only  spring  then  visited.  The  houses  were 
almost  full  of  strangers,  among  whom  were  several 
ladies  and  gentlemen  from  Albany,  and  we  found  it 
almost  impossible  to  obtain  accommodations,  even 
for  two  nights.  We  found  the  Round  Rock  at  that 
time  entire,  the  large  tree  which  some  years  since  fell 

*  The  impenetrable  wood,  here  so  graphically  de- 
scribed, was  what  is  even,  at  the  present  day,  known 
among  the  farmers  of  the  vicinity  as  "  Bear  Swamp." 
This  letter  shows  how  correctly  it  is  named  —  it  hav- 
ing been  in  early  times  a  favorite  resort  for  bears. — S. 

*Since  known  as  the  "  High-Rock." 


Mrs.  Dwighfs  Letter.  99 

and  cracked  a  fissure  in  it  being  then  standing  near, 
and  the  water,  which  occasionally  overflowed,  and 
increased  the  rock  by  its  deposits,  keeping  the  gene- 
ral level  three  or  four  inches  below  the  top.  The 
neighborhood  of  the  spring,  like  all  the  country  we 
had  seen  for  many  miles,  was  a  perfect  forest,  and 
there  were  no  habitations  to  be  seen  in  all  the  vi- 
cinity, except  the  three  log-houses,  which  afforded  us 
little  more  than  a  shelter.  We  arrived  on  Saturday, 
and  left  there  on  Monday  morning  for  Ballston,  which 
we  reached  after  a  short  ride.  But  there  the  accom- 
modations for  visitors  were  still  less  inviting.  The 
springs,  of  which  there  were  several,  were  entirely 
unprotected,  on  the  borders  of  a  woody  swamp,  and 
near  the  brook,  in  which  we  saw  bubbles  rising  in 
several  places,  which  indicated  other  springs.  There 
were  two  or  three  miserable  habitations,  but  none  in 
which  a  shelter  could  be  obtained.  There  was  a  small 
hovel,  into  which  some  of  the  water  was  conducted 
for  bathing,  but  as  there  was  nothing  like  comfort  to 
be  found,  we  proceeded  homeward  after  spending  a 
short  time  at  the  place." 


VISIT  OF  THE  DUG  DE  LA  ROCHEFOUCAULD- 

LIANCOURT,*  TO    THE    SURRENDER 

GROUNDS  IN  1795. 


In  1795,  the  then  Due  de  La  Rochefoucauld- 
Liancourt  visited  the  famous  battle-fields  of  Saratoga, 
and  in  his  published  account  of  his  travels  in  the  new 
world  upon  his  return  gives  a  graphic  account  of  the 
scenes  of  Burgoyne's  surrender. 

"  I  have  seen,"  says  the  Due,  "John  Schuyler,  the 
eldest  son  of  the  general.  For  a  few  minutes  I  had 
already  conversed  with  him  at  Schenectady,  and  was 
now  with  him  at  Saratoga.  The  journey  to  this 
place  was  extremely  painful,  on  account  of  the  scorch- 
ing heat ;  but  Saratoga  is  a  township  of  too  great 
importance  to  be  passed  by  unobserved.  If  you  love 
the  English,  are  fond  of  conversing  with  them,  and 
live  with  them  on  terms  of  familiarity  and  friendship, 
it  is  no  bad  thing  if  occasionally  you  can  say  to  them, 
' / have  seen  Saratoga' 

*  Rochefoucauld-Liancourt  Duke  de  la,  French 
publicist,  b.  in  la  Roche  Gayon,  14  Jan.,  1747  ;  d.  in 
Paris,  Mch.  28,  1827.  As  early  as  1 745  he  carried  on 
agricultural  improvements  on  his  family  estate,  and 
in  1780,  founded  there,  at  his  own  expense,  a  school 
of  mechanical  arts  for  soldiers'  sons,  which  has  since 


Due  de  La  Rochefoucauld-Liancourfs  Letter.     101 

"  Yes,  I  have  seen  this  truly  memorable  place,  which 
may  be  considered  as  the  spot  where  the  independ- 
ence of  America  was  sealed ;  for  the  events  which 
induced  Great  Britain  to  acknowledge  that  independ- 
ence were  obviously  consequences  of  the  capture  of 
General  Burgoyne,  and  would,  in  all  probability, 
never  have  happened  without  it.  The  dwelling-house 
of  John  Schuyler  stands  exactly  on  the  spot  where 
this  important  occurrence  took  place.*  Fish  creek, 
which  flows  close  to  the  house,  formed  the  line  of 

became  the  school  of  "Arts  et  Metiers"  of  France. 
He  was  a  favorite  of  Louis  XVI,  and  during  the 
reign  of  terror  endeavored  to  save  the  King.  Flying 
to  England,  he  remained  there  till  1794,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States.  After  traveling  through 
the  principal  States,  he  bought  a  farm  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  spent  some  time  in  experiments.  At  the 
restoration  of  Louis  XVIII  he  was  created  a  peer, 
and  afterwards  devoted  himself  to  the  prosecution  of 
useful  arts  and  to  benevolent  institutions.  He  es- 
tablished in  Paris  the  first  savings  bank,  and  was 
also  instrumental  in  introducing  vaccination  in 
France.  He  always  advocated  American  principles 
and  institutions,  and  acquired,  through  his  benevo- 
lent and  philanthropic  actions,  great  popularity.  His 
works  include,  among  others,  a  "  Voyage  dans  les 
Etats-Unis,"  8  vols.,  New  York,  1795-7 — from  which 
the  above  letter  is  taken. 

*  This  is,  of  course,  an  error.  He  confounded  it 
with  the  fact  that  near  the  house  the  preliminary 
conferences  were  exchanged.  See  Wilkinson  and 
my  Burgoyne  s  Campaign. 


IO2     Due  de  La  Rochefoucauld-Liancourfs  Letter. 

defence  of  the  camp  of  the  English  general,  which 
was  formed  on  an  eminence  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from 
the  dwelling.  The  English  camp  was  also  entirely 
surrounded  with  a  mound  of  earth  to  strengthen  its 
defence.  In  the  rear  of  the  camp  the  German  troops 
were  posted  by  divisions  on  a  commanding  height, 
communicating  with  the  eminence  on  which  General 
Burgoyne  was  encamped.  The  right  wing  of  the 
German  corps  had  a  communication  with  the  left 
wing  of  the  English,  and  the  left  extended  towards 
the  river.  General  Gates  was  encamped  on  the  other 
side  of  the  creek  at  the  distance  of  an  eighth  of  a 
mile  from  General  Burgoyne,  his  right  wing  stretched 
toward  the  plain  ;  but  he  endeavored  to  shelter  his 
troops  as  much  as  possible  from  the  enemy's  fire 
until  he  resolved  to  form  the  attack.  General  Neil- 
son,  at  the  head  of  the  American  militia,  occupied  the 
heights  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  and  engaged 
the  attention  of  the  left  wing  of  the  English  while 
other  American  troops  observed  the  movements  of 
the  right  wing.  In  this  position  General  Burgoyne 
surrendered  his  army.  His  provisions  were  nearly 
consumed,  but  he  was  amply  supplied  with  artillery 
and  ammunition.  The  spot  remains  exactly  as  it 
then  was,  excepting  the  sole  circumstance  that  the 
bushes,  which  were  cut  down  in  front  of  the  two 
armies,  are  since  grown  up  again.  Not  the  least 
alteration  has  taken  place  since  that  time.  The  en- 
trenchments still  exist ;  nay,  the  footpath  is  still  seen 
on  which  the  adjutant  of  General  Gates  proceeded  to 


Due  de  La  Rochefoucauld-Liancourt's  Letter.     103 

the  English  general  with  the  ultimatum  of  the  Ameri- 
can commander  ;  the  spot  on  which  the  council  of 
war  was  held  by  the  English  officers  remains  un- 
altered. You  see  the  way  by  which  the  English 
column,  after  it  had  been  joined  by  the  Germans, 
filed  off  by  the  left  to  lay  down  their  arms  within  an 
ancient  fort,  which  was  constructed  in  the  war  under 
the  reign  of  Queen  Anne  ;  you  see  the  place  where 
the  unfortunate  army  was  necessitated  to  ford  the 
creek  in  order  to  reach  the  road  to  Albany,  and  to 
march  along  the  front  of  the  American  army  ;  you  see 
the  spot  where  General  Burgoyne  surrendered  up  his 
sword  to.  General  Gates,*  when  the  man,  who  two 
months  before  had  threatened  all  the  rebels,  their 
parents,  their  wives  and  their  children  with  pillage, 
sacking,  firing  and  scalping,  if  they  did  not  join  the 
English  banner,  was  compelled  to  bend  British  pride 
under  the  yoke  of  these  rebels,  and  when  he 
underwent  the  two-fold  humiliation  as  a  minis- 
terial agent  of  the  English  government  to  submit 
to  the  dictates  of  '  revolted  subjects  and  a  com- 
manding general  of  disciplined  regular  troops,  and  to 
surrender  up  his  army  to  a  multitude  of  half-armed 

*  For  many  years,  until  destroyed  by  fire,  April 
15,  1879,  an  °ld  elm  tree  in  the  present  village  of 
Schuylerville,  near  a  blacksmith's  shop,  was  supposed 
to  mark  the  spot  where  Burgoyne  surrendered.  This 
was  a  mistake ;  it  was  under  this  tree  that  the  articles 
of  capitulation  were  signed,  and  as  such  it  is  a  memo- 
rable spot. 


IO4     Due  de  La  Rochefoucanld-Liancourfs  Letter. 

and  half-clothed  peasants.  To  sustain  so  severe 
a  misfortune  and  not  to  die  with  despair  exceeds 
not,  it  seems,  therefore,  the  strength  of  man.  This 
memorable  spot  lies  in  a  corner  of  the  court-yard  of 
John  Schuyler;*  he  was  then  a  youth  twelve  years 
old,  and  placed  on  an  eminence,  at  the  foot  of  which 
stood  General  Gates  and  near  which  the  American 
army  was  drawn  up,  to  see  their  disarmed  enemies 
pass  by.  His  estate  includes  all  the  tract  of  ground 
on  which  both  armies  were  encamped  and  he  knows 
as  it  were  their  every  step.  How  happy  must  an 
American  feel  in  the  possession  of  such  property  if 
his  bosom  be  anywise  susceptible  of  warm  feelings ! 
It  is  a  matter  of  astonishment  that  neither  Congress 
nor  the  Legislature  of  New  York  should  have  erected 
a  monument  on  this  spot  reciting  in  plain  terms  this 
glorious  event  and  thus  calling  it  to  the  recollection 
of  all  men  who  should  pass  this  way  to  keep  alive 
the  sentiments  of  intrepidity  and  courage  and  the 
sense  of  glory  which  for  the  benefit  of  America 
should  be  handed  down  among  Americans  from  gene- 
ration to  generation."  f 

'  The   Lake  Champlain  canal  now  runs  through 
the  site  of  the  surrender. 

f  The  Saratoga  Monument,  at  Schuylerville,  N.  Y., 
has  since  been  erected — mainly  through  the  patriotic 
efforts  in  Congress  of  Hon.  John  H.  Starin  —  now, 
1895,  president  of  the  SARATOGA  MONUMENT  Asso- 
ciation. The  corner-stone  of  the  monument  laid  in 
1877— was  donated  by  Booth  Bros.,  New  York,  who 
were  also  the  builders  of  the  monument. 


VISIT    OF    REV.   TIMOTHY    DWIGHT,   D.   D.,  To 

THE  BATTLE  AND  SURRENDER  GROUNDS 

IN  SEPTEMBER,  1779.* 


Rev.  Timothy  Dwight —  for  many  years  the  dis- 
tinguished president  of  Yale  College  —  was  in  the 
habit  of  spending  his  college  vacations  in  traveling 
through  the  New  England  States  and  New  York. 
These  travels  were  published  in  four  volumes  in 
1821  ;  and  the  work  is  regarded  as  one  of  permanent 
value  and  interest  in  regard  to  the  natural  history 
and  social  condition  of  the  country.  On  one  of 
these  trips  he  visited  the  Saratoga  Battle-Ground. 
The  narrative  of  his  visit  contains  nothing  new  re- 
garding the  battle  with  the  exception  that  in  speak- 
ing of  the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October,  he  states 
that  as  Arnold  entered  the  works,  Breyman,  with  a 
few  of  his  men,  saw  a  body  of  troops  dressed  like 
Americans  in  action.  Upon  his  demanding  with  a 

*  Timothy  Dwight,  educator,  born  in  Northhamp- 
ton,  Mass.,  May  14,  1752;  died  in  New  Haven, 
Conn.,  nth  of  January,  1817.  On  the  death  of 
Dr.  Stiles,  in  1795,  he  was  called  to  the  presi- 
dency of  Yale  College — an  office  which  he  held 
until  his  death  ;  and  in  his  long  and  successful  ad- 
ministration of  the  affairs  of  that  college,  his  claims 

14 


io6  Rev.  Timothy  Dwighfs  Letter. 

stern  voice  whether  they  were  of  such  a  corps,  a 
"  thundering  German  voice "  answered.  "  Naw" 
while  at  the  same  time,  a  fire  was  poured  in  upon 
him  by  which  he  was  wounded  in  the  leg.  I  there- 
fore, omit  the  account  of  his  visit,  giving  merely  the 
writer's  reflections  on  the  battlefield.  He  says  : 

"  I  could  here  almost  forget  that  Arnold  became  a 
traitor  to  his  country,  and  satisfy  myself  with  recol- 
lecting that  to  his  invincible  gallantry,  and  that  of 
the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  whom  he  led,  my  coun- 
try was,  under  God,  indebted  in  a  prime  degree,  for 
her  independence  and  all  its  consequent  blessings. 
Dr.  Johnson  himself  could  hardly  forbid  an  American 
to  love  his  country.  I  should  think  that  an  Ameri- 
can, peculiarly  an  inhabitant  of  New  England  or  New 

to  distinction  largely  rest.  In  politics  he  was  a  Fede- 
ralist of  the  Hamilton  school,  and  he  earnestly  de- 
precated French  ideas  of  education.  His  published 
works  fill  thirteen  large  octavo  volumes ;  and  his  un- 
published MS.  would  fill  as  many  more.  The  late 
president,  Theodore  W.  Dwight,  of  Columbia  Col- 
lege, once  remarked  in  conversation  that  he  had  a 
personal  interest  in  the  Saratoga  Battle-Ground, 
"  for,"  said  he,  "  my  grandfather,  Timothy  Dwight, 
was  there  as  a  chaplain  under  General  Gates,  and  a 
few  days  before  the  battle  he  preached  from  the  text, 
"  1 will  remove  far  from  thee  the  Northern  Army" 
He  subsequently  became  president  of  Yale  College. 
This  letter,  as  will  be  seen,  is  filled  with  classical 
comparisons  and  allusions  as  might  naturally  be  ex- 
pected from  the  writer's  profession. 


Rev.  Timothy  Dwight's  Letter.  107 

York,  little  to  be  envied  whose  patriotism  did  not 
gain  force  upon  the  heights  of  Stillwater  or  the 
plains  of  Saratoga.  These  scenes  I  have  examined 
—  the  former  with  solemnity  and  awe,  the  latter  with 
ardor  and  admiration,  and  both  with  enthusiasm 
and  rapture.  Here  I  have  remembered,  and  here 
it  was  impossible  not  to  remember  that  on  this  very 
spot  a  controversy  was  decided  upon  which  hung  the 
liberty  and  happiness  of  a  nation  destined  one  day 
to  fill  a  continent,  and  of  its  descendants,  who  will 
probably  hereafter  outnumber  the  inhabitants  of 
Europe. 

"  General  Gates,  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  his  enemy, 
had  detached  a  strong  body  up  the  river  in  rear  of 
the  British,  another  to  the  heights  opposite  Saratoga, 
and  a  third  still  further  up  the  river  to  prevent  him 
from  crossing.  Our  army  reached  the  field  which  we 
surveyed  with  so  much  exultation,  lying  immediately 
north  of  Saratoga  creek  [Fish  creek]  and  bordering 
the  Hudson.  It  is  a  large  and  beautiful  interval,  and 
is  rendered  not  a  little  more  beautiful  to  the  eye  by 
the  remembrance  that  it  was  the  scene  of  the  most 
interesting  transaction  during  the  American  war. 
On  this  ground  the  northern  army  laid  down  their 
arms  and  surrendered  themselves  prisoners  of  war. 
The  cloud  which  had  long  hung  with  so  lowering  an 
aspect  over  this  part  of  the  horizon  dissolved,  and 
the  evening  became  serene  and  delightful. 

Future  travelers  will  resort  to  this  spot  with  the 
same  emotions  which  we  experienced,  and  recall  with 


io8  Rev.  Timothy  Dwighfs  Letter. 

enthusiasm  the  glorious  events  of  which  it  is  the 
perpetual  memorial.  It  is  impossible  that  they  should 
not  kindle  with  patriotism.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  also, 
that  many  of  them  will  glow  with  piety.  Even  a 
generous-minded  Englishman  must,  I  think,  unite  in 
his  views  and  feelings  with  my  own  countrymen. 
How  immensely  more  important  to  succeeding  gene- 
rations were  these  transactions  than  those  of  the  plain 
of  Marathon,  that  immediately  affected  the  States  of 
Greece  only;  few  in  the  number  of  their  inhabitants, 
and  comprising  but  a  speck  of  territory.  Here  was 
decided  the  destiny  of  a  nation,  inhabiting  a  million  of 
square  miles,  independently  of  Louisiana,  and  al- 
ready amounting  to  more  than  seven  millions  of 
people.  Besides  the  vastness  of  these  objects,  every 
man  of  candor  will  admit,  that  the  religion,  the  laws, 
the  government,  and  the  manners  of  those  people, 
are  as  superior  to  those  of  the  Greeks,  as  their  num- 
bers and  the  extent  of  their  territory  who  would  be 
willing  that  such  a  body  of  people,  so  circumstanced, 
should  be  conquered,  and,  what  is  the  regular  con. 
sequence,  enslaved  ?  Who,  especially,  could  be  will- 
ing that  such  an  event  should  take  place  immediately 
before  an  era,  at  which  the  lights  of  human  liberty 
and  happiness  have  so  suddenly,  and  in  such  numbers, 
been  extinguished  ? 

The  majority  of  the  British  nation  earnestly  wished, 
that  the  Americans  might  not  be  conquered,  while 
they  wished,  also,  that  their  country  might  not  be 
separated  from  the  national  domain.  The  ablest 


Rev.  Timothy  Dwighfs  Letter.  109 

men  in  the  councils  of  the  Kingdom  resisted  the  war 
and  the  measures  which  led  to  it,  with  unmeasurable 
arguments,  and  with  irresistible  eloquence.  The 
great  Chatham  solemnly  warned  the  Parliament  of 
the  danger  which  was  involved  in  reducing  three  mil- 
lions of  their  fellow  subjects  under  the  dominion  of 
the  Crown,  and  placing  them  at  its  absolute  disposal. 
The  consequences  of  such  an  event  cannot  be 
divined,  but  it  demands  no  great  degree  of  forecast 
to  perceive  that  they  might  have  been  dreadful. 


PROFESSOR  SILLIMAN'S  VISIT  TO  THE   BAT- 
TLE GROUNDS  IN  1819. 


[The  following  account  of  the  visit  of  Professor 
Silliman  to  the  battle  ground  —  although  he  was  not 
a  participant  in  the  battle  —  has  value,  from  the  fact 
that  his  relation  is  derived  mainly  from  his  guide, 
Major  Buel,  who  was  in  the  conflict.  In  the  course 
of  his  narrative  —  to  avoid  repetition  —  wherever  he 
has  quoted  from  Wilkinson  or  Mrs.  Riedesel,  pas- 
sages which  are  familiar  to  the  readers  of  my  previ- 
ous works,  I  have  placed  stars.]  This  extract  is 
taken  from  the  edition  of  1824. — .5". 

HOUSE  IN  WHICH  GENERAL  FRASER  DIED. 

Ten  o'clock  at  night. 

We  are  now  on  memorable  ground.  Here  much 
precious  blood  was  shed,  and  now,  in  the  silence  and 
solitude  of  a  very  dark  and  rainy  night  —  the  family 
asleep,  and  nothing  heard  but  the  rain  and  the  Hud- 
son gently  murmuring  along,  I  am  writing  in  the 
very  house,  and  my  table  stands  on  the  very  spot  in 
the  room  where  General  Eraser  breathed  his  last,  on 
the  8th  of  October,  1777. 

He  was  mortally  wounded  in  the  last  of  the  two 
desperate  battles  fought  on  the  neighboring  heights, 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  1 1 1 

and  in  the  midst  of  the  conflict  was  brought  to  this 
house  by  the  soldiers.  Before  me  lies  one  of  the 
bullets  shot  on  that  occasion  ;  they  are  often  found 
in  plowing  the  battle  field. 

Blood  is  asserted,  by  the  people  of  the  house,  to 
have  been  visible  here  on  the  floor  till  a  very  recent 
period. 

General  Fraser  was  high  in  command  in  the  British 
army,  and  was  almost  idolized  by  them  ;  they  had  the 
utmost  confidence  in  his  skill  and  valor,  and  that  the 
Americans  entertained  a  similar  opinion  of  him  is 
sufficiently  evidenced  by  the  following  anecdote,  re- 
lated to  me  at  Ballston  Springs,  in  1797,  by  the  Hon. 
Richard  Brent,*  then  a  member  of  Congress  from 
Virginia,  who  derived  the  fact  from  General  Morgan's 
own  mouth  : 

In  the  battle  of  October,  the  seventh,  the  last 
pitched  battle  that  was  fought  between  the  two 
armies,  General  Fraser,  mounted  on  an  iron  gray 
horse,  was  very  conspicuous.  He  was  all  activity, 
courage  and  vigilance,  riding  from  one  part  of  his 
division  to  another,  and  animating  the  troops  by  his 
example.  Wherever  he  was  present  everything 
prospered,  and  when  confusion  appeared  in  any  part 

*  Brent,  Richard,  U.  S.  Senator  ;  b.  in  Virginia ; 
d.  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  Dec.  30,  1814.  He  was 
Representative  in  Congress  from  Dec.  7,  1795,  till 
March  3,  1799,  and  again  from  Dec.  7,  1801,  till 
March,  1803.  He  was  elected  Senator  from  Virginia 
and  served  from  226.  May,  1809,  till  his  death. 


H2  Professor  Sillimans  Letter. 

of  the  line,  order  and  energy  were  restored  by  his 
arrival. 

Colonel  Morgan,  with  his  Virginia  riflemen,  was 
immediately  opposed  to  Fraser's  division  of  the 
army. 

It  had  been  concerted,  before  the  commencement 
of  the  battle,  that  while  the  New  Hampshire  and  the 
New  York  troops  attacked  the  British  left,  Colonel 
Morgan,  with  his  regiment  of  Virginia  riflemen, 
should  make  a  circuit  so  as  to  come  upon  the  British 
right,  and  attack  them  there.  In  this  attempt,  he 
was  favored  by  a  woody  hill,  to  the  foot  of  which  the 
British  right  extended.  When  the  attack  com- 
menced on  the  British  left,  "  true  to  his  purpose, 
Morgan  at  this  critical  moment,  poured  down  like  a 
torrent  from  the  hill,  and  attacked  the  right  of  the 
enemy  in  front  and  flank."  The  right  wing  soon 
made  a  movement  to  support  the  left,  which  was  as- 
sailed with  increased  violence,  and  while  executing 
this  movement,  General  Fraser  received  his  mortal 
wound. 

In  the  midst  of  this  sanguinary  battle,  Colonel 
Morgan  took  a  few  of  his  best  riflemen  aside  ;  men 
in  whose  fidelity,  and  fatal  precision  of  aim,  he  could 
repose  the  most  perfect  confidence,  and  said  to  them: 
"That  gallant  officer  is  General  Fraser;  I  admire 
and  respect  him,  but  it  is  necessary  that  he  should  die 
—take  your  stations  in  that  wood  and  do  your  duty." 
Within  a  few  moments  General  Fraser  fell,  mortally 
wounded. 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  113 

How  far,  such  personal  designation  is  justifiable, 
has  often  been  questioned,  but  those  who  vindicate 
war  at  all,  contend,  that  to  shoot  a  distinguished 
officer,  and  thus  to  accelerate  the  conclusion  of  a 
bloody  battle,  operates  to  save  lives,  and  that  it  is, 
morally,  no  worse,  to  kill  an  illustrious,  than  an  ob- 
scure individual ;  a  Fraser,  than  a  common  soldier ; 
a  Nelson,  than  a  common  sailor.  But,  there  is 
something  very  revolting  to  humane  feelings,  in  a 
mode  of  warfare,  which  converts  its  ordinary  chances 
into  a  specie  of  military  execution.  Such  instances, 
were,  however,  frequent,  during  the  campaign  of 
General  Burgoyne ;  and  his  Aid-de-Camp,  Sir  Francis 
Clark,  and  many  other  British  officers,  were  victims 
of  American  marksmanship. 

Retiring  at  a  late  hour  to  my  bed,  it  will  be  easily 
perceived,  that  the  tender  and  heroic  ideas,  associated 
with  this  memorable  house,  would  strongly  possess 
my  mind.  The  night  was  mantled  in  black  clouds, 
and  impenetrable  darkness  ;  the  rain,  increasing,  de- 
scended in  torrents  upon  the  roof  of  this  humble 
mansion ;  the  water,  urged  from  the  heights,  poured 
with  loud  and  incessant  rumbling,  through  a  neigh- 
boring aqueduct ;  and  the  Hudson,  as  if  conscious 
that  blood  had  once  stained  its  waters  and  its  banks, 
rolled  along  with  sullen  murmurs ;  the  distinguished 
persons,  who  forty-two  years  since,  occupied  this 
tenement  —  the  agonized  females  —  the  terrified,  im- 
ploring children —  and  the  gallant  chiefs,  in  all  the 
grandeur  of  heroic  suffering  and  death,  were  vividly 
15 


H4  Professor  Sillimaris  Letter. 

present  to  my  mind  —  all  the  realities  of  the  night, 
and  the  sublime  and  tender  images  of  the  past,  con- 
spired to  give  my  faculties  too  much  activity  for 
sleep,  and  I  will  not  deny  that  the  dawning  light  was 
grateful  to  my  eyes  ! 

The  rain  having  ceased,  I  was  on  horseback  at 
early  dawn  with  a  veteran  guide  to  conduct  me  to 
the  battleground.  Although  he  was  seventy-five 
years  old,  he  did  not  detain  me  a  moment :  in  conse- 
quence of  an  appointment  the  evening  before,  he  was 
waiting  my  arrival  at  his  house,  a  mile  below  our  inn, 
and,  declining  any  aid,  he  mounted  a  tall  horse  from 
the  ground.  His  name  was  Ezra  Buel,*  a  native  of 
Lebanon,  in  Connecticut,  which  place  he  left  in  his 
youth,  and  was  settled  here  at  the  time  of  General 
Burgoyne's  invasion.  He  acted  through  the  whole 
time  as  a  guide  to  the  American  army,  and  was  one 
of  three  who  were  constantly  employed  in  that  ser- 
vice. His  duty  led  him  to  be  always  foremost,  and 

*  Called  colloquially,  in  the  neighborhood,  Major 
Buel,  a  rank  which  he  never  had  in  the  army,  but 
which  was  facetiously  assigned  him  while  in  the  ser- 
vice, by  his  brother  guides.  He  is  much  respected 
as  a  worthy  man. —  Edition  of  1820. 

Major  Buel,  I  believe,  still  lives.  I  saw  him  at 
Ballston  Springs,  in  July,  1823,  still  active  and  use- 
ful, although  almost  fourscore  ;  he  was  then  acting 
as  crier  of  a  state  court  at  that  time  in  session  at 
Ballston. —  March,  1824.  Edition  of  1824. 

The  reader,  for  a  further  glimpse  of  Buel,  is  re- 
ferred to  Wirt's  visit. — S. 


Professor  Sillimans  Letter.  115 

in  the  post  of  danger,  and  he  was,  therefore,  admi- 
rably qualified  for  my  purpose. 

The  two  great  battles  which  decided  the  fate  of 
Burgoyne's  army  were  fought,  the  first  on  the  igth 
of  September,  and  the  last,  on  the  jth  of  October,  on 
Bemis'  heights,  and  very  nearly  on  the  same  ground, 
which  is  about  two  miles  west  of  the  river. 

The  river  is  in  this  region  bordered  for  many  miles 
by  a  continued  meadow  of  no  great  breadth  :  upon 
this  meadow  there  was  then,  as  there  is  now,  a  good 
road  close  to  the  river,  and  parallel  to  it.  Upon  this 
road  marched  the  heavy  artillery  and  baggage,  con- 
stituting the  left  wing  of  the  British  army,  while  the 
elite,  forming  the  right  wing,  and  composed  of  light 
troops,  was  kept  constantly  in  advance  on  the  heights 
which  bound  the  meadows. 

The  American  army  was  south  and  west  of  the 
British,  its  right  wing  on  the  river  and  its  left  resting 
on  the  heights.  We  passed  over  a  part  of  their  camp 
a  little  below  Stillwater.* 

*  In  May,  1821, 1  again  visited  these  battlegrounds, 
and  availed  myself  of  that  opportunity,  in  company 
with  my  faithful  old  guide,  Major  Buel,  to  explore 
the  camp  of  General  Gates.  It  is  situated  about 
three  miles  below  Smith's  tavern  (the  house  where 
General  Fraser  died),  and  is  easily  approached  by  a 
cross  road,  which  turns  up  the  heights  from  the  great 
river  road.  It  is  not  more  than  half  a  mile  from  the 
river  to  the  camp.  I  found  it  an  interesting  place, 
and  would  recommend  it  to  travelers  to  visit  this 
spot,  as  they  will  thus  obtain  a  perfectly  clear  idea  of 


1 1 6  Professor  Sillimans  Letter. 

A  great  part  of  the  battleground  was  occupied  by 
lofty  forest  trees,  principally  pine,  with  here  and  there 
a  few  cleared  fields,  of  which  the  most  conspicuous  in 
these  sanguinary  scenes  was  called  Freeman's  farm, 
and  is  so  called  in  General  Burgoyne's  plans.  Such  is 

the  relative  position  of  the  hostile  armies,  and  of  the 
route  pursued  by  the  Americans  when  they  marched 
out  to  battle.  The  outlines  of  the  camp  are  still 
distinctly  visible,  being  marked  by  the  lines  of  de- 
fence which  were  thrown  up  on  the  occasion,  and 
which,  although  depressed  by  time,  will  long  be  con- 
spicuous, if  they  are  not  leveled  by  the  plow.  My 
guide  pointed  out  the  ground  occupied  by  the  dif- 
ferent corps  of  the  army.  Colonel  Morgan,  with  the 
Virginia  riflemen,  was  in  advance,  on  the  right,  that 
is,  nearest  the  river  ;  the  advance  was  the  post  always 
coveted  by  this  incomparable  corps,  and  surely  none 
could  claim  it  with  more  propriety.  There  was  much 
danger  that  the  enemy  would  attempt  to  storm  the 
camp  of  the  Americans,  and  had  they  been  successful 
in  either  of  the  great  battles  (Sept.  19  and  Oct.  7). 
they  would,  without  doubt,  have  attacked  the  camp, 
The  most  interesting  object  that  I  saw  in  this 
camp  was  the  house  which  was  General  Gates's 
headquarters.  1  am  afraid  that  the  traveler  may  not 
long  find  this  memorable  house,  for  it  was  much 
dilapidated  —  a  part  of  the  roof  had  fallen  in,  and 
the  winds  whistled  through  the  naked  timbers.  One 
room  was,  however,  tenantable,  and  was  occupied  by 
a  cooper  and  his  family.  From  the  style  of  the 
panel-work  and  finishing  of  this  room,  the  house  ap- 
pears to  have  been  in  its  day  one  of  the  better  sort 
-the  panels  were  large  and  handsome  and  the  door 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  117 

nearly  the  present  situation  of  these  heights,  only 
there  is  more  cleared  land  ;  the  gigantic  trees  have 
been  principally  felled,  but  a  considerable  number 
remain  as  witnesses  to  posterity ;  they  still  show  the 
wounds  made  in  their  trunks  and  branches  by  the 
missiles  of  contending  armies  ;  their  roots  still  pene- 
trate the  soil  that  was  made  fruitful  by  the  blood  of 
the  brave,  and  their  sombre  foliage  still  murmurs 
with  the  breeze,  which  once  sighed  as  it  bore  the  de- 
parting spirit  along. 

My  veteran  guide,  warmed  by  my  curiosity,  and 
recalling  the  feelings  of  his  prime,  led  me,  with 
amazing  rapidity,  and  promptitude,  over  fences  and 
ditches  —  through  water  and  mire — through  ravines 

was  still  ornamented  with  brass  handles.  Here  Sir 
Francis  Clark,  aid-de-camp  to  General  Burgoyne,  be- 
ing mortally  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  languished 
and  died.  General  Wilkinson  has  recorded  some 
interesting  passages  of  his  last  moments,  particularly 
his  animated  discussions  with  General  Gates  on  the 
merits  of  the  contest.  The  recollection  of  the  fate 
of  this  brave  but  unfortunate  officer  will  always  be 
associated  with  this  building  while  a  single  timber  of 
it  remains. — Edition  of  1824. 

The  house  here  referred  to  is  the  present  (1895) 
"old  Neilson  Farm  House."  It  has  been  repaired, 
and  is  in  an  excellent  state  of  preservation,  chiefly 
through  the  efforts  of  the  Hon.  D.  S.  Potter,  of  Glens 
Falls,  N.  Y.  Mr.  Potter,  a  trustee  of  the  Saratoga 
Monument  Association,  and  a  very  patriotic  man, 
deserves  great  credit  for  his  exertions  to  keep  intact 
the  different  sites  of  the  Battle  Grounds. —  »£. 


1 1 8  Professor  Sillimaris  Letter. 

and  defiles — through  thick  forests,  and  open  fields — 
and  up  and  down  very  steep  hills  ;  in  short,  through 
many  places,  where,  alone,  I  would  not  have  ven- 
tured ;  but,  it  would  have  been  shameful  for  me  not 
to  follow  where  a  man  of  seventy-five  would  lead, 
and  to  hesitate  to  explore  in  peace,  the  ground,  which 
the  defenders  of  their  country,  and  their  foes,  once 
trod  in  steps  of  blood.* 

On  our  way  to  Freeman's  farm,f  we  traced  the  line 
of  the  British  encampment,  still  marked  by  a  breast 
work  of  logs,  now  rotten,  but  retaining  their  forms  ; 
they  were  at  the  time  covered  with  earth  and  the  bar- 

*  My  guide  conducted  me  from  the  American  camp 
along  the  summit  of  the  heights,  by  the  same  route, 
which  was  pursued  by  our  gallant  countrymen,  when 
they  advanced  to  meet  their  formidable  foe,  and  I 
had  the  satisfaction  of  treading  the  same  ground 
which  they  trod,  in  the  silence  and  solemnity  of  im- 
pending conflict. 

In  pursuing  this  route,  the  traveler,  if  accompanied 
by  an  intelligent  guide,  will  have  a  very  interesting 
opportunity  of  marking  the  exact  places  where  the 
advanced  guards  and  front  lines  of  the  contending 
armies  met.  In  this  manner  we  advanced  quite  to 
Freeman's  farm,  the  great  scene  of  slaughter,  and 
thence  descended  again  to  the  center  of  the  British 
encampment  on  the  plains. 

f  There  is  a  barn  now  standing  near  Freeman's 
farm,  one  of  the  beams  of  which  contains  a  six-pound 
ball.  It  was  imbedded  in  the  tree  out  of  which  the 
timber  was  cut ;  and  the  builder  considerately  left 
the  ball  in  as  a  memento. — S. 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  119 

rier  between  contending  armies,  is  now  a  fence,  to 
mark  the  peaceful  divisions  of  agriculture.  This 
breast  work,  I  suppose  to  be  a  part  of  the  line  of  en- 
campment, occupied  by  General  Burgoyne,  after  the 
battle  of  the  igth  of  September,  and  which  was 
stormed  on  the  evening  of  the  7th  of  October. 

The  old  man  showed  me  the  exact  spot,  where  an 
accidental  skirmish,  between  advanced  parties  of  the 
two  armies,  soon  brought  on  the  general  and  bloody 
battle  of  September  19. 

This  was  on  Freeman's  farm,  a  field  which  was 
then  cleared,  although  surrounded  by  forest.  The 
British  picket  here  occupied  a  small  house,*  when  a 
part  of  Colonel  Morgan's  corps  fell  in  with,  and  im- 
mediately drove  them  from  it,  leaving  the  house 
almost  "  encircled  with  their  dead."f  The  pursuing 

*  Major  Forbes,  of  the  British  army,  states,  that 
the  American  picket  occupied  the  house ;  both  facts 
might  have  been  true  at  different  periods  of  the 
affair. 

f  The  role  which  Morgan  played  in  the  defeat  of 
Burgoyne,  and  also  the  ungrateful  treatment  he  ex- 
perienced at  the  hands  of  the  quasi  conquerer, 
Gates,  is  shown  by  the  following  extract  from  Lees 
Memoirs  : 

"  When  it  is  considered  that  the  glory  of  this  was 
largely  shared  in  by  a  number  of  gallant  leaders  and 
their  commands,  most  of  whom  found  frequent  op- 
portunities during  the  struggle  to  distinguish  them- 
selves, honorable  testimony  from  General  Burgoyne, 
in  reference  to  Colonel  Morgan  and  his  corps,  is  sig- 


I2O  Professor  Sillimarfs  Letter. 

party  immediately,  and  very  unexpectedly,  fell  in 
with  the  British  line,  and  were  in  part  captured,  and 
the  rest  dispersed. 

nificant  of  the  superiority  which  he  assigned  them. 
On  his  introduction  to  Morgan,  after  the  capitula- 
tion, he  took  him  warmly  by  the  hand,  with  the  ob- 
servation, '  Sir,  you  command  the  finest  regiment  in 
the  world.' 

"  But,  notwithstanding  the  important  services  which 
Morgan  rendered  in  the  campaign  —  services  which 
won  him  the  praises  of  the  army  and  made  his  name 
familiar  with  friends  and  foes  throughout  the  country 
—  they  were  not  deemed  worthy  of  more  than  a 
cursory  notice  in  General  Gates's  dispatches.  His 
name  was  not  even  mentioned  in  the  official  account 
of  the  surrender,  to  the  accomplishment  of  which  he 
had  contributed  so  largely.  This  was  the  more  ex- 
traordinary from  the  fact  that  General  Gates  had  not 
only  asked  Washington  for  him,  but  had,  from  his 
first  arrival  at  the  camp  to  the  surrender,  evinced  a 
high  degree  of  confidence  in  his  military  character 
and  a  friendly  regard  for  him  personally.  Before  a 
week  had  elapsed  after  the  closing  scenes  of  the  cam- 
paign, however,  this  conduct  had  undergone  a  total 
change.  Gates  not  only  denied  Morgan  justice  in 
his  communications  to  Congress,  but  in  their  official 
and  personal  intercourse  treated  him  with  marked 
reserve. 

'The  clue  to  this  otherwise  inexplicable  circum- 
stance is  probably  furnished  in  the  following  anec- 
dote, related  by  Morgan  himself:  Immediately  after 
the  surrender,  Morgan  visited  Gates  on  business, 
when  he  was  taken  aside  by  the  general  and  confi- 
dentially told  that  the  main  army  was  extremely 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  121 

This  incident  occurred  at  half-past  twelve  o'clock, 
there  was  an  intermission  till  one,  when  the  action 
was  sharply  renewed ;  but  it  did  not  become  general; 

dissatisfied  with  the  conduct  of  the  war  by  the  com- 
mander-in-chief,  and  that  several  of  the  best  officers 
threatened  to  resign  unless  a  change  took  place. 
Morgan  perfectly  understood  the  views  of  Gates  in 
this  conference,  although  he  was  then  a  stranger  to 
the  correspondence  which  he  had  held  with  Conway 
and  others,  and  sternly  replied,  '  I  have  one  favor  to 
ask  of  you,  sir,  which  is,  never  to  mention  that  de- 
testible  subject  to  me  again  ;  for  under  no  other  man 
than  Washington,  as  commander-in-chief,  would  I 
ever  serve.' 

"From  this  time  until  the  spring  of  1781  all  inti- 
macy between  Gates  and  Morgan  ceased.  A  day  or 
two  after  the  foregoing  interchange  of  views,  Gene- 
ral Gates  gave  a  dinner  to  the  principal  officers  of 
the  British  army.  A  large  number  of  American  offi- 
cers were  invited,  but  Morgan  was  not  among  the 
number.  So  signal  a  mark  of  Gates's  unfriendliness 
to  Morgan  could  not  pass  unobserved,  either  by  him- 
self or  by  his  brother  officers.  The  cause  was  buried 
in  the  bosom  of  the  parties  themselves,  and  con- 
jecture, though  widespread,  was  at  a  loss  to  account 
for  it.  Before  the  entertainment  was  over,  however, 
the  petty  indignity  recoiled  with  severity  upon  its 
author.  Morgan  had  occasion,  during  the  evening, 
to  seek  an  interview  with  General  Gates  on  business 
connected  with  his  command.  He  was  ushered  into 
the  dining-room,  and  having  arranged  the  matters  in 
hand,  was  permitted  by  Gates  to  withdraw  without 
even  the  empty  ceremony  of  an  introduction  to  the 
16 


122  Professor  Sillimaris  Letter. 

till  three,  from  which  time  it  raged  with  unabated 
fury,  till  night. 

General  Burgoyne  states  that  there  was  scarcely 
ever  an  interval  of  a  minute  in  the  smoke,  when  some 
British  officer  was  not  shot  by  the  American  riflemen, 

British  officers  present.  A  number  of  the  latter, 
struck  by  the  commanding  figure  and  noble  mien  of 
the  colonel,  and  noticing  that  he  was  a  field  officer, 
inquired  his  name  as  soon  as  he  had  retired.  On 
learning  that  it  was  Colonel  Morgan,  they  instantly 
rose  to  a  man  from  the  table,  overtook  him  in  the 
road,  and  severally  taking  him  by  the  hand,  made 
themselves  known  to  him,  frankly  declaring,  at  the 
same  time,  that  they  had  felt  him  severely  on  the 
field. 

"  British  officers  had  good  reason  to  know  him. 
He  frequently  told  his  men,  whom  he  familiarly 
called  his  boys,  to  shoot  at  those  who  wore  epau- 
lettes, rather  than  the  poor  fellows  who  fought  for 
sixpence  a  day,  and  the  sequel  proved  that  he  was 
obeyed  to  the  letter.  At  the  first  glance  many  would 
condemn  a  practice  of  this  kind,  as  adding  unneces- 
sarily to  the  sanguinary  features  of  war.  But  this 
constitutes  one  of  the  principal  arguments  in  its  de- 
fence. Every  additional  horror  which  war  acquires 
lessens  in  a  corresponding  degree  the  likelihood  of  a 
resort  to  it,  and  thus  tends  to  perpetuate  the  bless- 
ings of  peace.  The  primary  object  of  battles  being 
the  defeat  of  an  opponent,  few  means  the  necessary 
to  its  accomplishment  are  considered  illegitimate. 
Among  these  is  certainly  not  included  that  whereby 
an  adversary  is  struck  in  the  most  vital  part,  else  why 
employ  marksmen,  whose  business  it  is  to  exercise 


Professor  Sillimans  Letter.  123 

posted  in  the  trees,  in  the  rear  and  on  the  flank  of 
their  own  line.  A  shot  which  was  meant  for  General 
Burgoyne,  severely  wounded  Captain  Green,  an  aid- 

their  skill  against  particular  objects  ?  Even  veteran 
soldiers  have  thus  been  thrown  into  confusion,  and  be- 
come little  more  efficient  than  an  undisciplined  mob. 

The  following  from  the  Saratoga  Journal,  August 
3,  1885,  entitled  "An  Interesting  Historical  Relic," 
is  here  in  point:  "Mr.  Jesse  B.  Neville,  of  Colum- 
bus, Ohio,  who  has  been  enjoying  the  summer  at 
Dr.  Strong's,  is  the  owner  of  a  highly  interesting 
memorial  of  the  Revolution,  which  he  has  kindly 
consented  to  let  our  visitors  and  citizens  see.  It  is 
the  gold  medal,  containing  $500  worth  of  that  pre- 
cious metal,  presented  by  Congress  to  General  Daniel 
Morgan,  the  heroic  commander  of  Morgan's  famous 
Riflemen,  who  did  such  splendid  work  in  the  battles 
which  compelled  Burgoyne's  surrender.  The  occa- 
sion of  this  splendid  gift  was  the  great  victory  won 
by  Morgan  over  Colonel  Tarleton,  the  scourge  of 
the  Carolinas,  in  the  important  battle  of  Cowpens, 
January  17,  1781.  There  were  no  artificers  compe- 
tent to  do  such  work  in  America  at  that  time,  so  the 
order  was  sent  to  France,  and  the  scenes  depicted 
were  designed  by  Dupre,  a  noted  artist  of  that 
friendly  nation.  On  the  front  of  the  medal  is  a 
scene  showing  General  Morgan,  who  was  the  most 
noted  Indian  fighter  of  his  day,  in  the  act  of  being 
crowned  with  a  laurel  wreath  by  one  of  the  original 
sons  of  the  forest.  The  inscription  reads  :  "  Danieli 
Morgan,  Duci  Exercitus.  Comitia  Americana."  On 
the  reverse  is  a  very  finely  executed  relief,  showing 
Morgan  leading  a  charge  against  the  fleeing  British, 


124  Professor  Silliman  s  Letter.. 

de-camp  of  General  Phillips  :  the  mistake  was  owing 
to  the  captain's  having  a  richly  laced  furniture  to  his 
saddle,  which  caused  the  marksman  to  mistake  him 
for  the  general. 

Such  was  the  ardor  of  the  Americans,  that,  as 
General  Wilkeson  states,  the  wounded  men,  after 
having  their  wounds  dressed,  in  many  instances,  re- 
turned again  into  the  battle. 

The  battle  of  the  seventh  of  October  was  fought 
on  the  same  ground,  but  was  not  so  stationary  ;  it 
commenced  farther  to  the  right,  and  extended,  in  its 
various  periods,  over  more  surface,  eventually  occu- 
pying not  only  Freeman's  farm,  but  it  was  urged  by 
the  Americans,  to  the  very  camp  of  the  enemy, 
which,  towards  night,  was  most  impetuously  stormed, 
and  in  part  carried.* 

with  flags  flying,  and  wreaths  of  battle  smoke  sailing 
away  in  the  distance.  The  work  is  exquisitely  done 
and  its  artistic  value  is  very  great.  On  this  side  the 
inscription  reads:  "Victoria  Libertatis  Vindex." 
Fugatis  captis  aut  csesis  ad  Cowpens  Hosbitus. 
XVII  Jan.  MDCCLXXXI.  The  medal  will  be  left 
on  exhibition  at  E.  R.  Waterbury's  jewelry  store, 
near  the  Arcade  entrance,  for  several  days." 

*  It  was  the  intention  of  the  Americans  to  renew 
the  battle  on  the  following  day,  viz.,  the  8th,  and 
why  it  was  not  renewed  has  ever  been  a  mystery  — 
some  writers  attributing  it  to  the  lack  of  ammunition. 
This  explanation  I  give  in  my  "  Burgoyne's  Cam- 
paign." Since  that  work  was  published,  however,  I 
have  come  into  possession  of  a  MS.  map  of  the  ac- 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  125 

The  interval  between  the  igth  of  September  and 
the  /th  of  October,  was  one  of  great  anxiety  to  both 
armies ;  "  not  a  night  passed,"  says  General  Bur- 
goyne,  "  without  firing,  and  sometimes  concerted  at- 
tacks upon  our  pickets ;  no  foraging  party  could  be 
made  without  great  detachments  to  cover  it ;  it  was 
the  plan  of  the  enemy  to  harass  the  army  by  constant 
alarms,  and  their  superiority  of  numbers  enabled  them 
to  attempt  it,  without  fatigue  to  themselves.  By 
being  habituated  to  fire,  our  soldiers  became  indiffer- 
ent to  it,  and  were  capable  of  eating  or  sleeping  when 
it  was  very  near  them  ;  but  I  do  not  believe  either 
officer  or  soldier  ever  slept  during  that  interval,  with- 
out his  clothes,  or  that  any  general  officer,  or  com- 
mander of  a  regiment,  passed  a  single  night  without 
being  upon  his  legs  occasionally,  at  different  hours, 
and  constantly,  an  hour  before  daylight." 

The  battle  of  the  /th  was  brought  on  by  a  move- 
ment of  General  Burgoyne,  who  caused  1,500  men, 
with  ten  pieces  of  artillery,  to  march  toward  the  left 
of  the  American  army  for  the  purpose  of  discovering 

tion  of  the  7th,  made  by  Col.  Rufus  Putnam  (a  cousin 
of  Gen.  Israel),  which  explains  the  seeming  mystery. 
On  this  map  there  are  put  down  some  deep  ravines 
between  Burgoyne's  Hospital  and  Wilbur's  Basin, 
and  the  American  forces,  with  this  remark  on  the 
map  in  Putnam's  hand-writing:  "British  redoubts 
having  in  front  a  deep  hollow  ground  full  of  trees 
and  logs  which  prevented  an  attack  on  the  British 
army  that  (the  8th)  day." 


126  Professor  Sillimaris  Letter. 

whether  it  was  possible  to  force  a  passage  ;  or  in  case 
a  retreat  of  the  royal  army  should  become  indispen- 
sable, to  dislodge  the  Americans  from  their  intrench- 
ments,  and  also  to  cover  a  foraging  excursion,  which 
had  now  become  pressingly  necessary.*  It  was  about 
the  middle  of  the  afternoon  that  the  British  were 
observed  advancing,  and  the  Americans,  with  small 
arms,  lost  no  time  in  attacking  the  British  grenadiers 
and  artillery,  although  under  a  tremendous  fire  from 
the  latter  ;  the  battle  soon  extended  along  the  whole 
line  :  Colonel  Morgan,  at  the  same  moment,  attacked 
with  his  riflemen,  on  the  right  wing;  Colonel  Acland, 
the  commander  of  the  grenadiers,  fell  wounded ;  the 
grenadiers  were  defeated  and  most  of  the  artillery 
taken,  after  great  slaughter,  f 

*  Also  an  error.  "  The  foraging  party,"  says  Gen. 
Riedesel,  "  was  made  the  day  previous  to  the  battle 
of  the  7th."  The  gathering  of  forage  while  the  army 
were  forming  for  battle  was  merely  an  incident. 
Hence  the  confusion  which  has  arisen  on  this  sub- 
ject. 

f  In  this  connection  it  is  not  inappropriate  to  quote 
the  following  from  the  N.  Y.  Tribune,  Dec.  15,  1885  : 
1  The  Earl  of  Carnarvon,  late  colonial  secretary  of 
Great  Britain,  recently  sent  to  William  L.  Stone  a 
tiny  gold  slipper  that  was  worn  by  his  great-grand- 
mother, Lady  Harriet  Acland,  while  she  was  with 
Burgoyne's  army  during  the  American  Revolution. 
The  note  accompanying  the  gift,  referring  to  Mr. 
Stone's  memoir  of  Lady  Acland,  said:  It  is  a  matter 
of  no  uncommon  pleasure  to  me  to  see  my  family 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  127 

At  the  end  of  a  most  sanguinary  contest,  of  less 
than  one  hour,  the  discomfiture  and  retreat  of  the 
British  became  general,  and  they  had  scarcely  re- 
gained their  camp  before  the  lines  were  stormed  with 
the  greatest  fury,  and  part  of  Lord  Balcarras's  camp 
was  for  a  short  time  in  our  possession. 

I  was  on  the  ground  where  the  grenadiers,  and 
where  the  artillery  were  stationed.  "  Here,  upon 
this  hill "  (said  my  hoary  guide),  "  on  the  very  spot 
where  we  now  stand,  the  dead  men  lay,  thicker  than 
you  ever  saw  sheaves  on  a  fruitful  harvest  field." 
"  Were  they  British  or  Americans  ?"  "  Both,"  he  re- 
plied, ubut  principally  British."  I  suppose  that 
it  is  of  this  ground  that  General  Wilkinson  remarks, 
"  it  presented  a  scene  of  complicated  horror  and  ex- 
history  thus  preserved  on  the  other  side  of  the  At- 
lantic. It  renews  a  feeling  that  very  often  comes 
across  me,  that  the  identity  and  sympathies  of  race 
remain  wholly  untouched  by  a  hundred  years  of  sepa- 
ration—  perhaps,  are  all  the  stronger  for  the  nomi- 
nal differences.  Last  year,  when  I  was  in  America, 
I  only  felt  that  I  was  in  another  and  distant  part  of 
England."  Since  this  was  written  Lord  Carnarvon 
has  died.  Still,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  record  his  feelings 
toward  us  in  America. 

Col.  Acland,  when  wounded,  was  taken  to  Joseph 
Bird's  tent,  where  his  wife  nursed  him.  MS.  letter 
to  the  editor  from  B.  R.  L.  Westover,  of  Castleton, 
Vt,  Feb.  10,  1886.  Mr.  Westover  is  a  descendant  of 
Bird.  For  a  long  sketch  of  Col,  and  Lady  Acland 
see  my  "  Burgoyne  Ballads."  S. 


128  Professor  Sillimaris  Letter. 

ultation.  In  the  square  space  of  twelve  or  fifteen 
yards  lay  eighteen  grenadiers  in  the  agony  of  death  ; 
and  three  officers,  propped  up  against  stumps  of 
trees,  two  of  them  mortally  wounded,  bleeding,  and 
almost  speechless." 

My  guide,  proceeding  with  his  narrative,  said  : 
"  There  stood  a  British  field-piece,  which  had  been 
twice  taken  and  retaken,  and  finally  remained  in  our 
possession :  I  was  on  the  ground,  and  said  to  an 
American  colonel,  who  came  up  at  the  moment, 
'  Colonel,  we  have  taken  this  piece,  and  now  we  want 
you  to  swear  it  true  to  America  /  so  the  colonel  swore 
it  true,  and  we  turned  around  and  fired  upon  the 
British  with  their  own  cannon  and  with  their  own 
ammunition,  still  remaining  unconsumed  in  their  own 
boxes." 

I  was  solicitous  to  see  the  exact  spot  where  Gene- 
ral Eraser  received  his  mortal  wound.  My  old  guide 
knew  it  perfectly  well,  and  pointed  it  out  to  me.  It 
is  in  a  meadow,  just  on  the  right  of  the  road,  after  pass- 
ing a  blacksmith's  shop  and  going  south  a  few  rods. 
The  blacksmith's  shop  is  on  a  road  which  runs  par- 
allel to  the  Hudson  —  it  stands  elevated,  and  over- 
looks Freeman's  farm.* 

*The  great-grandfather  of  Mr.  T.  L.  Stone,  of 
Varysburgh,  N.  Y.,  viz. :  Mr.  Russell  Stone,  was  near 
the  spot  at  the  time  that  Fraser  fell.  He  was  a  pri- 
vate under  Col.  Thaddeus  Cook.  He  was  wounded 
in  the  hand,  but  his  wound  was  not  so  serious  as  to 
disqualify  him  from  service. 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  129 

I  saw  various  places  where  the  dead  were  interred  ; 
a  rivulet  or  creek  passes  through  the  battleground 
and  still  washes  out  from  its  banks  the  bones  of  the 
slain.  This  rivulet  is  often  mentioned  in  the  accounts 
of  these  battles,  and  the  deep  ravine  through  which 
it  passes ;  on  our  return  we  followed  this  ravine  and 
rivulet  through  the  greater  part  of  their  course,  till 
they  united  with  the  Hudson. 

Farm-houses  are  dispersed  here  and  there  over  the 
field  of  battle,  and  the  people  often  find,  even  now, 
gun-barrels  and  bayonets,  cannon-balls,  grape  shot, 
bullets  and  human  bones.  Of  the  three  last  I  took 
from  one  of  these  people  some  painful  specimens ; 
some  of  the  bullets  were  battered  and  misshaped, 
evincing  that  they  had  come  into  collision  with  op- 
posing obstacles. 

Entire  skeletons  are  occasionally  found  ;  a  man 
told  me  that  in  ploughing  during  the  late  summer, 
he  turned  one  up,  and  it  was  not  covered  more  than 
three  inches  with  earth ;  it  lay  on  its  side,  and  the 
arms  in  the  form  of  a  bow ;  it  was,  probably,  some 
solitary  victim  that  never  was  buried.  Such  are  the 
memorials  still  existing  of  these  great  military  events  ; 
great,  not  so  much  on  account  of  the  numbers  of  the 
actors,  as  from  the  momentous  interests  at  stake,  and 
from  the  magnanimous  efforts  to  which  they  gave 
origin. 

I  would  not  envy  that  man  his  state  of  feeling 
who  could  visit  such  fields  of  battle  without  emotion, 
or  who  (being  an  American)  could  fail  to  indulge 
17 


130  Professor  Sillimans  Letter. 

admiration  and  affection  for  the  soldiers  and  martyrs 
of  liberty,  and  respect  for  the  valor  of  their  enemies. 
Having  taken  my  guide  home  to  breakfast,  we  made 
use  of  his  knowledge  of  the  country  to  identify  with 
certainty  the  place  of  General  Eraser's  interment* 

*  A  full  account  of  Gen.  Fraser  will  be  found  in 
any  of  my  previous  works.  One  anecdote,  however, 
of  him,  which  I  had  not  come  across  at  the  time,  is 
here  given  to  illustrate  his  true  nobility  of  character. 
It  is  taken  from  Jonathan  Eastman's  Life  of  Stark 
(Concord,  1831),  now  a  very  rare  work:  "Two  of 
the  American  officers  taken  at  Hubbardstown,  relate 
the  following  anecdote  of  him.  He  saw  that  they 
were  in  distress,  as  their  Continental  paper  would 
not  pass  with  the  English,  and  offered  to  loan  them 
as  much  as  they  wished  for  their  present  circumstances. 
They  took  three  guineas  each.  He  remarked  to 
them:  'Gentlemen,  take  what  you  wish — give  me 
your  due  bills,  and  when  we  reach  Albany  I  trust  to 
your  honor  to  take  them  up,  for  we  shall  doubtless 
over-run  the  country,  and  I  shall  probably  have  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  you  again.  Gen.  Fraser  fell 
in  the  battle  of  the  ;th  of  October  ;  the  notes  were 
consequently  never  redeemed,  but  the  signers  of  them 
could  not  refrain  from  shedding  tears  at  the  fate  of 
this  gallant  and  generous  enemy."  Now,  these  tears 
thus  shed  were  all  well  enough  in  their  way,  but 
Gen.  Eraser's  family,  in  England,  were  well  known, 
and  no  difficulty  would  have  been  experienced  in  dis- 
covering his  heirs  and  forwarding  the  sum  lent  by 
him  to  them.  Perhaps  they  did  so,  of  which,  how- 
ever, I  have  my  doubts  ;  but  it  would  have  been 
much  more  satisfactory  had  Eastman  been  able  to 


Professor  Sillimans  Letter.  131 

General  Burgoyne  mentions  two  redoubts  that  were 
thrown  up  on  the  hills  behind  his  hospital ;  they  are 
both  still  very  distinct,  and  in  one  of  these  which  is 
called  the  great  redoubt  by  the  officers  of  General 
Burgoyne's  army,  General  Fraser  was  buried.  It  is 
true  it  has  been  disputed,  which  is  the  redoubt  in 
question,  but  our  guide  stated  to  us,  that  within  his 
knowledge  a  British  sergeant,  three  or  four  years 
after  the  surrender  of  Burgoyne's  army,  came  and 
pointed  out  the  grave.  We  went  to  the  spot ;  it  is 
within  the  redoubt,  on  the  top  of  the  hill  nearest  to 
the  house  where  the  general  died,  and  corresponds 
with  the  plate  in  Anbury  s  Travels,  taken  from  an 
original  drawing  made  by  Sir  Francis  Clarke,  aid-de- 
camp to  General  Burgoyne,  and  with  the  statement 
of  the  general  in  his  defense,  as  well  as  with  the  ac- 
count of  Madam  Reidesel. 

The  place  of  the  interment  was  formerly  desig- 
nated by  a  little  fence  surrounding  the  grave.  I  was 
here  in  1 797,  twenty-two  years  ago  ;  the  grave  was 
then  distinctly  visible.* 

On  the  present  occasion  I  did  not  visit  the  British 
fortified  camp.f  When  I  was  here  in  1 797  I  examined 

state  that  the  money  thus  so  generously  loaned  had 
been  returned !  Tears  are  certainly  a  cheap  method 
of  paying  one's  debts  ! 

*  Now  (1895),  two  tall  pines  stand  like  giant  sen- 
tinels on  top  of  this  hill,  watching  over  the  dead. 

f  In  May,  1821,  I  again  visited  this  fortified  camp, 
and  found  it  as  perfect  as  it  was  when  I  saw  it  nearly 


132  Professor  Sillimaris  Letter. 

it  particularly.  It  was  then  in  perfect  preservation 
(I  speak  of  the  encampment  of  the  British  troops 
upon  the  hill  near  the  Fish  kil),  the  parapet  was  high 
and  covered  with  grass  and  shrubs,  and  the  platforms 
of  earth  to  support  the  fieldpieces  were  still  in  good 
condition.  No  devastation  of  any  consequence  had 
been  committed,  except  by  the  credulous,  who  had 
made  numerous  excavations  in  the  breastworks  and 
various  parts  of  the  encampment  for  the  purpose  of 
discovering  the  money  which  the  officers  were  sup- 
posed to  have  buried  and  abandoned.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  add  that  they  never  found  any  money, 
for  private  property  was  made  sacred  by  the  conven- 
tion, and  even  the  public  military  chest  was  not  dis- 
turbed ;  the  British  retained  every  shilling  that  it 
contained.  Under  such  circumstances  to  have  buried 
their  money  would  have  been  almost  as  great  a  folly 

twenty-three  years  before,  and  almost  every  particu- 
lar stated  in  the  text  was  strictly  applicable  to  it.  It 
is  about  a  mile  from  the  river,  and  was  certainly 
chosen  with  great  good  judgment,  and  had  the  Ameri- 
can army  attempted  to  take  it  by  storm,  it  would  evi- 
dently have  cost  them  very  dear.  [Why  the  Ameri- 
cans did  not  attempt  it,  see  note  ante.]  While  at 
Ballston  Springs  during  the  late  summer,  some  gen- 
tlemen of  our  party  made  an  excursion  to  this  place, 
and  I  learned  from  them,  with  extreme  regret  that 
the  plow  was  passing  over  the  fortified  camp  of  Gene- 
ral Burgoyne  and  that  its  fine  parapet  would  soon 
be  levelled  so  that  scarcely  a  trace  of  it  would  remain. 
See  note  in  advance  about  Eraser's  remains. 


Professor  Sillimans  Letter.  133 

as  the  subsequent  search  for  it.  This  infatuation  has 
not,  however,  gone  by,  even  to  this  hour,  and  still, 
every  year  new  pits  are  excavated  by  the  insatiable 
money  diggers.* 

We  arrived  at  this  interesting  spot  (the  field  of 
the  surrender),  in  a  very  fine  morning  ;  the  sun  shone 
with  great  splendor  upon  the  flowing  Hudson  and 
upon  the  beautiful  heights  and  the  luxuriant  meadows, 
now  smiling  in  rich  verdure  and  exhibiting  images  of 
tranquility  and  loveliness  very  opposite  to  the  horrors 
of  war  which  were  once  witnessed  here. 

*  "  This  appears  to  be  a  very  common  popular  de- 
lusion ;  in  many  places  on  the  Hudson,  and  about 
the  lakes  where  the  armies  had  lain  or  moved,  we 
found  money  pits  dug,  and  in  one  place  they  told  us 
that  a  man  bought  of  a  poor  widow  the  right  of  dig- 
ging in  her  ground  for  the.  hidden  treasure."  Not- 
withstanding Professor  Silliman's  remark  —  true  in 
the  main  —  a  laborer  some  thirty  years  since,  in  dig- 
ging in  Leggett's  barn-yard,  the  site  of  the  great  re- 
doubt on  which  was  Freeman's  farm,  found  enough 
gold  with  which  to  buy  a  farm  on  the  shore  of 
Saratoga  Lake.  This  incident  reminds  one  of  the 
father  of  Mr.  William  Alexander  English  (Buck 
English,  as  he  was  called),  whose  father,  a  day  la- 
borer, being  at  work  on  the  lands  of  Shoonhill, 
County  of  Tipperary,  Ireland,  found  a  large  earthen 
vase  filled  with  gold,  supposed  to  have  been  hidden 
there  upon  the  arrival  of  Cromwell  at  the  siege  of 
Clonmell.  With  this  money  old  Mr.  English  pur- 
chased lands  and  houses.  See  previous  note  about 
Congdon's  gold. 


*34  Professor  Sillimans  Letter. 

The  Fish  kil,  swollen  by  abundant  rains  (as  it  was 
on  the  morning  of  October  10,  1777,  when  General 
Burgoyne  passed  it  with  his  artillery),  now  poured  a 
turbid  torrent  along  its  narrow  channel,  and  roaring 
down  the  declivity  of  the  hills,  hastened  to  mingle  its 
waters  with  those  of  the  Hudson. 

We  passed  the  ruins  of  General  Schuyler's  house, 
which  are  still  conspicuous,  and  hastened  to  the  field 
where  the  British  troops  grounded  their  arms.  Al- 
though, in  1797,  I  paced  it  over  in  juvenile  enthusi- 
asm,* I  felt  scarcely  less  interested  on  the  present 
occasion,  and  again  walked  over  the  whole  tract.  It 
is  a  beautiful  meadow,  situated  at  the  intersection  of 
the  Fish  kil,  with  the  Hudson,  and  north  of  the 
former.  There  is  nothing  now  to  distinguish  the 
spot,  except  the  ruins  of  old  Fort  Hardy,  built  during 
the  French  wars,  and  the  deeply  interesting  historical 
associations  which  will  cause  this  place  to  be  memora- 
ble to  the  latest  generation.  Thousands  and  thou- 
sands yet  unborn  will  visit  Saratoga  with  feelings  of 
the  deepest  interest,  and  it  will  not  be  forgotten  till 
Thermopylae  and  Marathon  and  Bannockburn  and 
Waterloo  shall  cease  to  be  remembered.  There  it 
will  be  said  were  the  last  entrenchments  of  a  proud 
invading  army ;  on  that  spot  stood  their  formidable 
park  of  artillery  —  and  here,  on  this  now  peaceful 

*  In  company  with  the  Hon.  John  Elliott,  now  a 
senator  from  Georgia,  and  John  Wynn,  Esq.,  from 
the  same  State.  Note  to  ist  edition. 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  135 

meadow  they  piled  their  arms !  their  arms  no  longer 
terrible,  but  now  converted  into  a  glorious  trophy  of 
victory  ! 

I  have  adverted  but  little  to  the  sufferings  of  the 
American  army,  because  but  little,  comparatively,  is 
known  of  what  they  individually  endured.  Excepting 
the  inevitable  casualties  of  battle,  they  must  have 
suffered  much  less  than  their  enemies,  for  they  soon 
ceased  to  be  the  flying  and  became  the  attacking  and 
triumphant  party.  Colonels  Colburn,  Adams,  Fran- 
cis and  many  other  brave  officers  and  men  gave  up 
their  lives  as  the  price  of  their  country's  liberty,  and 
very  many  carried  away  with  them  the  scars  produced 
by  honorable  wounds.  The  bravery  of  the  American 
army  was  fully  acknowledged  by  their  adversaries. 

"At  all  times,"  said  Lord  Balcarras,  "when  I  was 
opposed  to  the  rebels  they  fought  with  great  courage 
and  obstinacy.  We  were  taught  by  experience  that 
neither  their  attacks  nor  resistance  was  to  be  de- 
spised." Speaking  of  the  retreat  of  the  Americans 
from  Ticonderoga,  and  of  their  behaviour  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Hubberton,  Lord  Balcarras  adds  :  "  Circum- 
stanced as  the  enemy  were,  as  an  army  very  hard 
pressed  in  their  retreat,  they  certainly  behaved  with 
great  gallantry;"  of  the  attack  on  the  lines  on  the 
evening  of  the  7th  of  October,  he  says  :  "  The  lines 
were  attacked,  and  with  as  much  fury  as  the  fire  of 
small  arms  can  admit." 

Lord  Balcarras  had  said  that  he  never  knew  the 
Americans  to  defend  their  entrenchments,  but  added  : 


136  Professor  Sillimaris  Letter. 

"  The  reason  why  they  did  not  defend  their  entrench- 
ments was  that  they  always  marched  out  of  them  and 
attacked  us."  Captain  Money,  in  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion whether  on  the  igth  of  September  the  Americans 
disputed  the  field  with  obstinacy,  answered  :  "  They 
did,  and  the  fire  was  much  hotter  than  I  ever  knew  it 
anywhere,  except  at  the  affair  at  Fort  Anne ; "  and 
speaking  of  the  battle  of  October  ;th,  and  of  the 
moment  when  the  Americans,  with  nothing  but  small 
arms,  were  marching  up  to  the  British  artillery,  he 
adds  :  "  I  was  very  much  astonished  to  hear  the  shot 
from  the  enemy  fly  so  thick  after  our  cannonade  had 
lasted  a  quarter  of  an  hour."  General  Burgoyne 
gives  it  as  his  opinion  that  as  rangers,  "  perhaps  there 
are  few  better  in  the  world  than  the  corps  of  Virginia 
riflemen  which  acted  under  Colonel  Morgan."  He 
says,  speaking  of  the  battle  of  September  igth,  that 
"  few  actions  have  been  characterized  by  more  ob- 
stinacy in  attack  or  defense.  The  British  bayonet 
was  repeatedly  tried  ineffectually. " 

Remarking  upon  the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October, 
he  observes:  "  If  there  be  any  persons  who  continue 
to  doubt  that  the  Americans  possess  the  quality  and 
faculty  of  fighting,  call  it  by  whatever  term  they 
please,  they  are  of  a  prejudice  that  it  would  be  very 
absurd  longer  to  contend  with  ; "  he  says  that  in  this 
action  the  British  troops  "  retreated  hard  pressed, 
but  in  good  order,"  and  that  "  the  troops  had  scarcely 
entered  the  camp  when  it  was  stormed  with  great 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  137 

fury,  the  enemy  rushing  to  the  lines  under  a  severe 
fire  of  grape  shot  and  small  arms." 

In  a  private  letter  addressed  to  Lord  George  Ger- 
main, after  the  surrender,  he  says :  "  I  should  now 
hold  myself  unjustifiable,  if  I  did  not  confide  to  your 
lordship  my  opinion  upon  a  near  inspection  of  the 
rebel  troops.  The  standing  corps  that  I  have  seen 
are  disciplined.  I  do  not  hazard  the  term,  but  apply 
it  to  the  great  fundamental  points  of  military  insti- 
tution, sobriety,  subordination,  regularity  and  cour- 
age." 

It  is  very  gratifying  to  every  real  American  to  find 
that  for  so  great  a  prize  his  countrymen  (their  enemies 
themselves  being  judges)  contended  so  nobly,  and 
that  their  conduct  for  bravery,  skill  and  humanity 
will  stand  the  scrutiny  of  all  future  ages. 

From  the  enemy  it  becomes  us  not  to  withhold  the 
commendation  that  is  justly  due  ;  all  that  skill  and 
valor  could  effect  they  accomplished,  and  they  were 
overwhelmed  at  last  by  complicated  distress,  and  by 
very  superior  numbers,  amounting  at  the  time  of  the 
surrender,  probably,  to  three  for  one,  although  the 
disparity  was  much  less  in  the  two  great  battles. 

The  vaunting  proclamation  of  General  Burgoyne 
at  the  commencement  of  the  campaign,  some  of  his 
boasting  letters,  written  during  the  progress  of  it, 
and  his  devastation  of  private  property  reflect  no 
honor  on  his  memory.  But,  in  general,  he  appears 
to  have  been  a  humane  and  honorable  man,  a  scholar 
and  a  gentleman,  a  brave  soldier  and  an  able  com- 
18 


138  Professor  Sillimans  Letter. 

mander.  Some  of  his  sentiments  have  a  higher 
moral  tone  than  is  common  with  men  of  his  profes- 
sion and  have  probably  procured  for  him  more  respect 
than  all  his  battles.*  Speaking  of  the  battle  of  the 
7th,  he  says:  "  In  the  course  of  the  action  a  shot 
had  passed  through  my  hat  and  another  had  torn  my 
waistcoat.  I  should  be  sorry  to  be  thought  at  any 
time  insensible  to  the  protecting  hand  of  Providence  ; 
but  I  ever  more  particularly  considered  (and  I  hope 
not  superstitiously),  a  soldier's  hairbreadth  escapes 
as  incentives  to  duty,  a  marked  renewal  of  the  trust 
of  being,  for  the  purposes  of  a  public  station  ;  and 
under  that  reflection  to  lose  our  fortitude  by  giving 
way  to  our  affections  ;  to  be  divested  by  any  possible 
self-emotion  from  meeting  a  present  exigency  with 
our  best  faculties,  were  at  once  dishonor  and  impiety." 
Thus  have  I  adverted,  I  hope  not  with  too  much 
particularity,  to  some  of  the  leading  circumstances  of 
the  greatest  military  event  which  has  ever  occurred 
in  America,  but  compared  with  the  whole  extent  and 
diversity  of  that  campaign  the  above  notices,  how- 
ever extended,  are  few  and  brief.  I  confess  I  have 
reviewed  them  with  a  very  deep  interest,  and  have 

*  This  estimate  of  Burgoyne  seems  to  be  —  after 
the  mist  of  prejudice  has  been  lifted  —  a  just  one. 
Indeed,  seen  from  after  standpoints,  Burgoyne  does 
not  deserve  the  opprobrium  cast  at  the  time  upon 
him.  Time  rectifies  all  things  —  even  the  reputa- 
tions of  the  confederate  generals  of  the  late  civil 
war. 


Professor  Sillimaris  Letter.  139 

been  willing  to  hear  some  of  the  distinguished  actors 
speak  in  their  own  language.     Should  the  notice  of 
these  great  events  tend,  in  any  instance,  to  quench 
the  odious  fires  of  party,  and  to  rekindle  those  of 
genuine  patriotism  —  should  it  revive  in  anyone  a 
veneration  for  the  virtues  of  those  men  who   faced 
death  in  every  form,  regardless  of  their  own  lives,  and 
bent  only  on  securing  to  posterity  the  precious  bless- 
ings which  we  now  enjoy,  and  above   all,  should  we 
thus  be  led  to  cherish  a  higher  sense  of  gratitude  to 
heaven  for  our  unexampled  privileges,   and  to   use 
them  more  temperately  and  wisely,  the  time  occupied 
in  this  sketch  will  not  have  been  spent  in  vain.     His- 
tory presents  no  struggle  for  liberty  which  has  in  it 
more  of  the  moral  sublime  than  that  of  the  American 
Revolution.     It  has  been  of  late  years  too  much  for- 
gotten in  the  sharp  contentions  of  party,  and  he  who 
endeavors  to  withdraw  the  public  mind   from  those 
debasing  conflicts  and  to  fix  it  on  the  grandeur  of 
that  great  epoch  —  which,  magnificent  in  itself,  begins 
now  to  wear  the  solemn  livery  of  antiquity  as  it  is 
viewed  through,  the  deepening  twilight  of  half  a  cen 
tury  certainly  performs  a  meritorious  service  and  can 
scarcely  need  a  justification.     The  generation  that 
sustained  the  conflict  is  now  almost  passed  away ;  a 
few  hoary  heads  remain,  seamed  with  honorable  scars 
—  a  few  experienced  guides  can  still  attend  us  to  the 
fields  of  carnage  and  point  out  the  places  where  they 
and  their  companions  fought  and  bled  and  where 
sleep  the  bones  of  the  slain.     But  these  men  will 


140  Professor  Sillimaris  Letter. 

soon  be  gone ;  tradition  and  history  will,  however, 
continue  to  recite  their  deeds,  and  the  latest  genera- 
tions will  be  taught  to  venerate  the  defenders  of  our 
liberties  —  to  visit  the  battle-grounds  which  were 
moistened  with  their  blood,  and  to  thank  the  mighty 
God  of  battles  that  the  arduous  conflict  terminated 
in  the  entire  establishment  of  the  liberties  of  this 
country. 


VISIT   TO   THE    BATTLE    GROUND    IN    1820    BY 
DR.  THEODORE    DWIGHT. 


A  drive  over  from  Ballston  Spa  brought  us  to  the 
Saratoga  battle  grounds.  I  hate  the  details  of  slaugh- 
ter ever  since  I  have  overcome  the  savage  and  heathen 
impressions  I  received  with  my  "liberal  education." 
I  learned  to  admire  them  from  the  notes  of  admira- 
tion with  which  the  classics  abound  for  those  notori- 
ous butchers  who,  in  former  times  did  so  much 

*  Dr.  Theodore  Dwight,  who  came  to  his  death 
October  16,  1866,  through  injuries  received  from  the 
New  Jersey  Railroad  Co.,  was  a  nephew  of  President 
Dwight  of  Yale  college,  and  a  son  of  the  distinguished 
Hartford  editor,  who  was  the  immediate  predecessor 
of  the  late  Col.  William  L.  Stone  in  the  editorship 
of  the  old  Hartford  Mirror.  Dr.  Dwight,  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  was  the  secretary  of  the  American 
Ethnological  Society  —  a  society  of  which  he  and  the 
late  Albert  Gallatin  were  the  founders.  He  was  also 
the  author  of  a  number  of  entertaining  works  of 
travel,  among  which  are  his  Tours  in  Italy,  the 
Northern  Traveller,  and  Summer  Tours.  He  was 
likewise  for  a  long  time  editor  of  Dwighfs  American 
Magazine.  He  was  also  the  one  who,  in  1820, 
brought  Saratoga  Springs  into  extensive  notice  by 
the  first  real  guide-book  of  the  United  States  that 
had  ever  been  published. 


142  Dr.    Theodore  Dwighfs  Letter. 

business  under  different  firms  —  Alexander,  Hannibal 
&  Co.,  Caesar  &  Brothers.  I  therefore  did  not  regret 
that  the  battles  on  this  ground  amounted  only  to  a 
matter  of  a  thousand  or  so  killed  on  both  sides  —  a 
mere  skirmish,  in  the  opinion  of  an  European.  Gen. 
Wilkinson  tells  facts  which  show  that  there  was  ex- 
citement enough  here  to  raise  in  some  individuals  the 
most  barbarous  and  blood-thirsty  spirit. 

"  Major  Buel,  our  guide,  appeared  sometimes  at 
fault,  but  never  being  disposed  to  acknowledge  it, 
generally  found  a  reply  to  every  question.  Two  of 
the  party  differed  about  the  spot  on  which  Gen. 
Fraser  fell  and  inquired  of  him,  '  Where  was  Gen. 
Fraser  wounded?'  '  Let  me  see,' said  he.  '  I  believe 
in  the  bowels,  pretty  much.'"* 

*  It  was  said  at  the  time  by  Burgoyne's  surgeons 
that  had  not  General  Fraser's  stomach  been  distended 
by  a  hearty  breakfast  he  had  eaten  just  before  going 
into  action  he  would  doubtless  have  recovered  from 
his  wound.  This  seems  to  be  corroborated  by  an 
item  taken  from  the  St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat  of 
October,  1893.  The  article,  which  is  headed,  "  Empty 
Stomachs  Safer  in  Battle,"  is  as  follows :  "  Surgeon- 
General  Sternberg,  of  the  army,  and  Dr.  A.  C.  Ber- 
nays,  of  St.  Louis,  had  flocked  together  and  were 
discussing  gun-shot  wounds  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
body.  Dr.  Bernays  greatly  interested  Surgeon-Gene- 
ral Sternberg  by  a  proposition  he  laid  down  that  when 
a  man  is  shot  in  the  abdomen  shortly  after  eating  a 
hearty  meal  the  danger  is  much  greater.  '  A  case  of 
that  kind  should  be  operated  upon  in  every  instance,' 
said  Dr.  Bernays.  *  If  the  bowels  are  empty  or  nearly 


Dr.    Theodore  Dwighfs  Letter.  143 

We  visited,  also,  the  headquarters  of  Gen.  Bur- 
goyne.*  The  house  (Smith's)  stands  by  the  road- 
side, but  the  place  where  it  then  was  is  a  spot  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill  [where  Fraser  is  buried],  and  about 
200  yards  from  the  river.  The  cellar  is  still  to  be 
seen  [now,  1894]  in  a  field  near  an  apple  tree,  a 
little  north  of  the  road  that  crosses  the  canal. 

Willard's  mountain  is  an  eminence  a  few  miles  off, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  During  the  last 
battle  the  Americans  had  a  few  cannon  on  the  rising 
ground  above  the  eastern  shore,  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
above  Smith's,  and  thence  proceeded  the  shot  of 
which  the  Baroness  Riedesel  speaks.  Several  ladies 
of  distinction  were  its  inmates  at  the  time  when  the 
British  troops  were  here,  being  the  wives  of  some  of 
the  principal  officers.  The  house  was  converted  into 
an  hospital  during  the  second  battle,  and  Gen.  Fraser 
died  on  the  8th  of  October  in  what  is  now  the  bar- 
room. His  grave  is  on  the  hill  back  of  the  house. 

I  heard  the  late  General  Van  Cortland,f  a  colonel 
in  the  New  York  line  and  a  participator  in  this  bat- 
so,  the  same  wound  may  be  treated  without  opera- 
tion.' 

'  Applying  that  theory  to  soldiers  ? '  remarked  the 
surgeon-general  tentatively. 

'  I  would  say  they  ought  to  do  their  fighting  before 
breakfast,'  put  in  the  specialist." 

*  An  error,  as  mentioned  in  a  preceding  note  to 
"  Mrs.  Dwight's  visit  to  the  Saratoga  battle  ground." 

t  Died  at  Sandy  Hill,  N.  Y.,  in  1822. 


144  Dr-    Theodore  Dwighfs  Letter. 

tie,  say  that  he  was  not  brought  into  action  until  late 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  iQth  of  September,  when  he 
was  ordered  by  Arnold  to  take  part  beyond  the  left 
of  our  line,  and  engage  in  action  or  not  as  he  might 
judge  proper.  He  engaged  a  regiment  of  Hessians 
[Brunswickers],  of  whose  short  guns  our  soldiers  did 
not  think  much,  and  drove  them  back.  One  of  his 
officers  was  wounded  by  his  side,  and  he  placed  him 
upon  his  horse.  While  pursuing,  he  met  a  regiment 
of  British  light  infantry  on  his  flank  and  partly  in  his 
rear,  advancing  and  firing,  but  without  seeing  them 
in  the  darkness.  He  halted  in  a  foot-path  nearly 
parallel  to  them,  about  a  foot  lower  than  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  ordering  his  men  not  to  fire  till  they 
should  see  the  enemy's  flash,  and  then  aim  a  little 
below  it.  Directly  the  flash  was  seen  all  along  their 
line,  the  fire  was  immediately  returned  and  this 
checked  them.  He  then  went  around  to  his  officers 
and  ordered  them  to  withdraw  quietly,  and  returned 
to  camp.  After  an  engagement  of  an  hour  and  a 
half  he  had  lost  one  man  to  every  five  and  a  half  in 
his  regiment.  Col.  Cilley  *  lost  but  one  out  of  seven 
in  five  or  six  hours. 

While  in  the  vicinity  of  Bemis's  Heights  I  was  re- 
minded of  several  anecdotes  I  had  heard  at  different 

*  Col.  Cilley  is  well  known  by  the  readers  of  Gen. 
"Wilkinson's  Memoirs,"  as  having  been  found  by 
him  at  the  battle  of  the  ;th  October,  astride  of  a 
brass  twelve-pounder  and  exulting  in  its  capture. 
The  following  anecdotes  of  Col.  Cilley  are,  however, 


Dr.    Theodore  Dwighfs  Letter.  145 

periods  and  from  different  persons,  relating  to  the 
battles  here  and  at  the  Wallomsac,  the  last  of  which 
is  usually  called  the  battle  of  Bennington.  What 
must  have  been  the  state  of  the  country  when  the 
panic  caused  by  the  desertion  of  Ticonderoga  was 

not  so  generally  known  —  both  of  which  testify  to 
his  courage  and  patriotism. 

As  a  prelude  to  the  engagement  of  the  yth,  a 
British  flanking  party  was  directed  to  turn  the  Ameri- 
can wing,  where  Cilley  was  posted,  and  who  was 
ordered  to  counteract  the  movement.  As  the  parties 
approached  each  other,  and  a  few  scattering  trees 
only  intervened,  the  British  colonel  was  heard  to  give 
the  order,  "  Fix  bayonets  and  charge  the  damned 
rebels."  Col.  Cilley,  who  was  near  enough  to  hear, 
responded  loudly  enough  for  the  enemy  to  under- 
stand, "That  is  a  game  two  can  play  at — Charge! 
by  God,  and  we  will  try  it ! "  The  Americans  charged 
at  the  word,  and  rushing  upon  the  enemy,  discharged 
a  volley  in  their  faces,  who  broke  and  fled  without 
tarrying  to  cross  bayonets  with  the  "  damned  rebels," 
leaving  a  number  of  their  comrades  on  the  field. 
Eastman,  also,  in  his  Life  of  Stark,  states  that  at  the 
battle  of  Monmouth,  when  Gen.  Lee  was  on  his  re- 
treat, Cilley's  regiment  checked  the  pursuit  of  the 
enemy  and  drove  them  back  in  turn.  Washington, 
who  at  that  moment  arrived,  delighted  at  the  gallant 
stand  made  by  the  New  Hampshire  regiment,  in- 
quired, "What  troops  are  these?"  "True-blooded 
Yankees,  sir,"  was  the  colonel's  emphatic  reply.  In 
the  retreat  from  Ticonderoga,  a  son  of  Col.  Cilley 
was  left  behind  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British, 
who,  ascertaining  that  he  was  the  son  of  a  distin- 

19 


146  Dr.    Theodore  Dwighfs  Letter. 

such  that  although  a  long  delay  took  place  before 
Gen.  Burgoyne  began  to  march  from  Whitehall,  he 
met  no  opposition  until  he  reached  this  spot.  Exer- 
tions were  made  by  the  patriotic  who  were  yet  un- 
discouraged,  to  raise  the  people  in  arms  ;  but  how 
was  it  to  be  expected  that  the  militia  could  stop  the 
course  of  an  army,  before  which  regular  troops  had 
fled  out  of  the  principal  fortress  of  the  country  ?  The 
history  of  the  time  has  been  written  several  times 
and  related  a  thousand.  I  will,  therefore,  leave  my 
readers  to  books  and  only  repeat  two  or  three  tales  I 
have  heard  from  private  sources.  Word  of  mouth 
has  often  a  charm,  because  it  conveys  feeling,  and 
that  everybody  can  understand. 

"  My  father,"  said  a  gentleman  I  once  conversed 
with,  "  lived  in  Berkshire  county,  Mass.,  when  the 
news  came  that  the  Hessians  [Brunswickers]  were 
going  to  seize  the  stores  on  the  Wallomsac  creek, 
and  all  the  force  of  the  country  was  wanted.  He 

guished  officer  in  the  American  army,  brought  him 
to  Burgoyne.  That  general,  after  treating  him  kindly, 
set  him  at  liberty  and  furnished  him  with  a  horse  and 
saddle-bag  full  of  his  "  proclamations."  These  he 
carried  to  his  father,  who,  taking  one  of  them,  in- 
dignantly tore  it  in  pieces,  and  throwing  them  to  the 
winds,  exclaimed,  "  So  shall  their  army  be  scattered." 
One  of  Col.  Cilley's  grandsons,  Jonathan,  M.  C., 
from  New  Hampshire,  1837,  met  his  death  in  a  duel 
with  Wm.  Graves,  a  fellow-congressman  from 
Kentucky.  The  affair  excited  unusual  attention  at 
the  time. 


Dr.    Theodore  Dwighfs  Letter.  147 

was  a  hardy  farmer  and  well  known  thereabouts,  so 
that  he  had  been  chosen  captain  of  a  company  of  old 
men,  exempt  from  service  by  age,  which  had  been 
raised  for  any  case  of  extremity.  This  company, 
which  was  called  the  '  Silver  Grays,'  in  allusion  to 
their  hoary  hair,  set  off  for  the  scene  of  action  imme- 
diately and  was  on  the  ground  on  the  morning  of  the 
battle  in  time  to  have  a  part  assigned  in  the  attack 
made  upon  the  entrenched  line  of  the  enemy.  On 
account  of  the  respectability  of  the  company  they 
were  left  to  choose  their  place,  and  agreed  to  attack 
the  Tory  fort,  as  a  redoubt  on  an  eminence  was  called, 
which  had  been  intrusted  to  the  Americans  accom- 
panying the  Hessian  troops.  The  captain  informed 
his  men  that  it  was  his  intention  to  approach  their 
object  through  a  ravine  which  he  observed  led  in  that 
direction,  to  enjoy  all  the  shelter  it  might  afford. 
'  Captain,'  said  a  large  and  powerful  man  in  the  prime 
of  life,  stepping  forward  pale  and  trembling,  '  I  am 
not  going  to  fight;  I  came  to  lead  back  the  horses.' 
'  Go,  then,'  said  the  captain  with  indignation  ;  *  we 
shall  do  better  without  a  coward  in  our  number. 

Deacon ,'  said  he  to  a  little,  old  man,  shrivelled 

with  age,  '  you  are  too  feeble  to  bear  the  fatigues  of 
the  day.  It  is  my  pleasure  that  you  stand  sentry 
over  the  baggage.' 

4  With  your  leave,  captain,'  said  the  old  man,  step- 
ping forward  and  making  the  soldier's  sign  of  respect 
to  a  superior  with  as  much  the  air  of  a  youth  as  he 
could,  'with  your  leave  I  will  have  a  pull  at  'em  first.' 


148  Dr.    Theodore  Dwighfs  Letter. 

The  company  expressed  their  admiration  at  his 
spirit,  and  under  the  feelings  it  produced,  succeeding 
as  it  did  the  display  of  arrant  cowardice  in  a  younger 
man,  they  marched  on  a  quick  step  toward  the  enemy. 
When  they  reached  the  end  of  the  ravine,  the  captain 
intended  to  form  an  attack,  supposing  they  must  yet 
be  at  some  distance  from  the  redoubt.  Instead  of 
this,  on  looking  up  he  found  himself  almost  at  the 
base  of  it  and  the  Tories  taking  aim  at  him  from 
above.  In  an  instant  he  lay  upon  the  ground,  a  bul- 
let having  passed  through  his  foot,  and  a  friend  near 
him  ran  to  raise  him,  supposing  him  killed.  He 
sprang  upon  his  feet,  however,  and  just  then  seeing 
a  red-coat  hurrying  across  a  field  at  a  distance,  a 
thought  came  into  his  head  to  encourage  his  men  and 
he  cried  out,  '  Come  on  !  they  run,  they  run  ! '  The 
old  man  climbed  up,  jumped  into  the  fort  and  in  a 
moment  the  'Silver  Grays'  had  complete  possession 
of  it  without  the  loss  of  one  of  their  number." 

From  the  battle  ground  I  went  to  Ballston 
Springs.  *  *  * 


VISIT   OF    HON.    WILLIAM    WIRT    IN    AUGUST, 

1821.* 


"  Washington,  Aug.  29,  1821. 
MY  DEARLY  BELOVED  BROTHER: 

*  *  On  returning  from  Lake  George  we  fell 
upon  Burgoyne's  track  at  Sandy  Hill,  a  beautiful 
little  village  on  a  high  and  commanding  site  on  the 
North  river.  Thence  going  down  the  river  on  the 
eastern  bank,  two  miles  and  a  half,  we  came  to  old 
Fort  Edward.  At  this  place  there  is  a  little  village, 
and  while  our  horses  were  watering  I  procured  a 
Revolutionary  bullet  or  two  which  had  been  got  out 
of  the  wall  of  the  fort.  We  arrived  at  the  village  of 
Saratoga  [this  was  "  old  Saratoga,"  now  Schuyler- 
ville,  and  not  the  famous  watering-place]  to  dinner  — 
the  field  on  which  Burgoyne  laid  down  his  arms,  be- 
ing immediately  before  us,  about  half  a  mile,  and  now 
a  beautiful  piece  of  meadow  land  at  the  junction  of 
Fish-creek  with  the  North  river,  which  you  can  see 
on  the  map.  I  have  some  relics  also  from  this  field 

*  This  letter,  written  to  Mr.  Wirt's  brother-in-law, 
Pope,  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the  most  charming  and  racy 
letters  of  the  whole  of  this  series,  but  whoever  has 
read  Wirt's  "  Life  of  Patrick  Henry"  would  not  ex- 
pect anything  otherwise  from  his  pen. 


150  Hon.    William    Wirfs   Visit. 

for  you.  You  remember  that  Burgoyne  was  on  his 
retreat,  endeavoring  to  get  back  to  Fort  Edward,  and 
thence  into  Canada,  where,  finding  his  retreat  cut  off, 
he  surrendered  on  this  plain, —  so,  in  following  his 
track  down  we  came  to  the  field  of  surrender  before 
we  came  to  the  battle  grounds,  where  he  had  for  the 
first  time  become  convinced  of  the  erroneous  estimate 
he  had  made  of  the  American  character. 

Having  walked  over  the  Field  of  Surrender  and 
pulled  some  boughs  from  a  tree  near  the  spot  at 
which  Burgoyne's  Marqued  was  pitched,  we  moved 
down  the  river  in  the  evening,  and  about  an  hour  by 
sun  came  to  the  house  in  which  the  celebrated  Gene- 
ral Fraser  breathed  his  last  [here  follows  in  the  let- 
ter the  often  quoted  and  well-known  account  of 
Fraser's  death  by  Madame  Riedesel,  to  whom  the 
writer  acknowledges  his  indebtedness]. 

Well,  sir,  as  I  was  saying,  we  arrived  at  this  same 
house  at  about  an  hour  by  the  sun,  and  as  good  fortune 
would  have  it,  before  we  alighted  another  traveler 
rode  up,  having  just  returned  from  reviewing  the 
battle-fields  accompanied  by  old  Ezra  Buel,  who  had 
been  a  guide  to  the  American  army  in  both  the  bat- 
tles of  the  i  Qth  September  and  the  ;th  of  October, 
and  was  with  our  troops  until  the  surrender.  He  is 
now  seventy-seven  years  of  age,  and  his  usual  gait  of 
riding  is  twelve  miles  per  hour  on  a  very  hard  riding 
horse.  You  will  see  honorable  mention  made  of  him 
by  Silliman.  Not  at  all  fatigued  with  the  excursion 
from  which  he  had  just  returned,  he  wheeled  about 


Hon.  William    Wirfs   Visit.  151 

again  and  accompanied  us  with  the  utmost  alacrity. 
There,  YOU  should  have  been  with  me,  my  dear  Pope, 
to  walk  over  the  fields  which  had  been  the  theatre  of 
such  desperate  strife  —  where  the  great  cause  of 
liberty,  too,  was  staked  on  the  issue. 

"And  so,"  thought  I,  "this  is  the  field  on  which 
the  famous  battles  of  Stillwater  were  fought  four  and 
forty  years  ago.  Here  did  these  grounds  swarm 
with  armed  men  !  " 

"  Here  Morgan  was  posted,"  said  the  old  man,  in- 
terrupting my  meditations.  "  Here  was  Arnold,  then 
a  patriot  and  an  excellent  soldier,"  etc.  And  so  the 
old  gentleman  arranged  the  field  and  conjured  up 
before  my  eyes  the  whole  host.  Then  he  painted  the 
battles  with  great  spirit  —  showed  by  what  accidents 
they  had  commenced  on  both  occasions,  and  how 
they  became  general  —  depicted  the  struggle  in  par- 
ticular parts  of  the  field,  and  enabled  me  to  imagine 
at  times  that  I  saw  and  heard  all  the  tumult,  agita- 
tion, shouting,  thunder  and  fury  of  a  long  and  well- 
contested  field.  Good  heavens,  what  a  warming  il- 
lusion !  Morgans  eye  of  fire  and  bugle  voice  !  Arnold's 
maniac  and  irresistible  impetuosity  *  -  the  rattling 

*  In  this  connection  the  following  extract  from  the 
"  Diary  of  Captain  Wakefield,"  entitled  "  Unpublished 
Recollections  of  1777, "is  in  point: 

"  I  shall  never  forget  the  opening  scene  of  the  first 
day's  conflict.  The  riflemen  and  light  infantry  were 
ordered  forward  to  clear  the  woods  of  the  Indians. 
Arnold  rode  up,  and  with  his  sword  pointing  to  the 


152  Hon.  William   Wirfs   Visit. 

of  musketry,  the  sharp  cracking  of  the  rifles,  the 
deafening  roar  of  the  artillery,  the  animating  shout 
of  the  soldiery,  the  war-whoop  of  the  Indians,  the 
encouraging  and  applauding  cries  of  the  officers,  the 
charge,  the  retreat,  the  rapid  and  regular  evolution 
at  one  point,  the  disorderly  movement  at  another,  the 

enemy  emerging  from  the  woods  into  an  opening 
partially  cleared,  covered  with  stumps  and  fallen  tim- 
ber, addressing  Morgan,  he  said,  '  Colonel  Morgan, 
you  and  I  have  seen  too  many  red-skins  to  be  de- 
ceived by  that  garb  of  paint  and  feathers  ;  they  are 
asses  in  lions'  skins  —  Canadians  and  Tories  ;  let  your 
riflemen  cure  them  of  their  borrowed  plumes.' 

"  And  so  they  did,  for  in  less  than  fifteen  minutes 
the  '  Wagon  Boy,'  with  his  Virginia  riflemen,  sent  the 
painted  devils  with  a  howl  back  to  the  British  lines. 
Morgan  was  in  his  glory,  catching  the  inspiration  of 
Arnold,  as  he  thrilled  his  men  ;  when  he  hurled  them 
against  the  enemy  he  astonished  the  English  and 
Germans  with  the  deadly  fire  of  his  rifles.  Nothing 
could  exceed  the  bravery  of  Arnold  on  this  day ;  he 
seemed  the  very  genius  of  war,  infuriated  by  the  con- 
flict and  maddened  by  Gates'  refusal  to  send  rein- 
forcements, which  he  repeatedly  called  for,  and 
knowing  he  was  meeting  the  brunt  of  the  battle,  he 
seemed  inspired  with  the  fury  of  a  demon.  Riding 
in  front  of  the  line,  his  eyes  flashing,  pointing  with 
his  sword  to  the  advancing  foe,  with  a  voice  that 
rung  clear  as  a  trumpet  and  electrified  the  line  he 
called  upon  the  men  to  follow  him  to  the  charge,  and 
then  dashing  forward,  closely  followed  by  his  troops, 
he  hurled  them  like  a  tornado  on  the  British  line  and 
swept  it  away.  There  seemed  to  shoot  out  from  him 


Hon.   William    Wirfs   Visit.  153 

headlong  confusion,  the  groans  of  the  dying,  the  cry 
for  quarter,  ghastly  and  bleeding  wounds,  the  severed 
limbs,  men  and  horses  mingled  on  the  plain  in  one 
wide  scene  of  indiscriminate  blood  and  carnage  !  Oh, 
what  an  uproar  then  !  How  still  and  quiet  now  ! ! 
Where  are  they  all !  "  What  is  that  your  plow  is 
turning  up?"  "Only  a  skeleton."  "What,  yet  to 
this  day?"  "Even  yet  our  plows  are  constantly 
striking  against  cannon  balls  or  dead  men's  bones,  or 
turning  up  grape-shot  or  bullets."  "  Then,  I  guess 
the  people  were  not  idle  on  that  day?"  "You  may 
depend,  friend,  they  were  busy."*  "  I  believe  it,  but 

a  magnetic  flame  that  electrified  his  men  and  made 
heroes  of  all  within  his  influence. 

"  Arnold  was  not  only  the  hero  of  the  field,  but  he 
had  won  the  admiration  of  the  whole  army.  There 
was  not  a  man,  officer  or  private  who  participated  in 
the  battle,  or  who  witnessed  the  conflict  who  did  not 
believe  that  if  Gates  had  sent  reinforcements,  as 
Arnold  again  and  again  begged  him  to  do,  he  would 
have  utterly  routed  the  whole  British  army.  So 
general  was  this  belief,  and  so  damaging  to  Gates, 
that  as  an  excuse  to  save  himself  from  reproaches 
coming  from  every  side  he  gave  out  as  the  reason 
that  the  store  of  powder  and  ball  in  the  camp  was 
exhausted,  and  that  the  supplies  of  ammunition  from 
Albany  had  not  arrived.  No  one  could  dispute  this, 
yet  no  one  believed  it." 

*  Had  old  "Ezra"  lived  at  the  present  time,  his 

reply  doubtless  would  have  been  in  the  slang  of  our 

day  :     "  You  may  bet,  boss,  they  were  busy."     I  call 

attention  to  this  particularly  to  show  how  greatly  our 

20 


154  Hon.  William    Wirfs   Visit. 

I  have  a  friend  in  Virginia  who  would  be  glad  to  have 
some  of  the  bullets  that  were  fired  in  those  great  bat- 
tles—  battles  that  gave  the  first  decided  turn  to  the 
American  Revolution."  "  To  be  sure,  there  is  a  ball 
which  has  been  rolling  about  the  yard  for  some  time  ; 
you  shall  have  it,  and  the  bullets,  too  ;  and  you,  John, 
go  up  into  the  loft  and  bring  down  that  skull." 
"  Thank  you,"  said  I.  "  Excuse  me  from  the  skull  - 
it  will  not  be  convenient  to  carry  it  —  but  the  ball 
and  the  bullets  I  will  gladly  take,"  and  so  I  did. 

We  went  to  several  other  houses  which  have  all 
been  built  since,  for  it  was  then  entirely  wood,  except 
"  Freeman's  farm,"  which  you  will  see  mentioned  in 
the  books,  and  at  all  these  houses  bullets  and  bones 
were  offered — even  the  little  children  handling  and 
offering  the  human  bones  with  as  total  an  absence 
from  all  emotion  as  if  they  were  chickens'  bones  or 
dry  sticks.*  Having  examined  the  battle  grounds  of 

colloquial  language  has  deteriorated  within  the  last  fifty 
years.  Notice,  also,  the  respectful  attitude  all  through, 
of  the  guide  —  so  different  from  the  guides  of  the 
present  day  on  the  battlefields  of  the  late  Civil  War. 

*  Even  at  the  present  day  (1895)  the  tourist  ex- 
periences the  same  incidents.  In  1877  Judge  Chs.  S. 
Lester,  C.  C.  Lester,  Willard  Lester,  the  late  Joseph 
G.  Cook  and  myself,  while  on  a  visit  to  the  battle 
grounds,  were  badgered  by  little  children  offering 
such  relics  for  sale.  Nor  were  these,  like  those  relics 
of  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  bogus  —  they  were  genuine 
relics.  In  fact,  Judge  Lester  and  our  companions  on 
this  visit,  picked  up  some  bones  and  cannon  balls  and 
also  a  gilt  button  of  the  2ist  Highlanders  —  the  lat- 


Hon.  William    Wirt's   Visit.  155 

both  days  and  walked,  listened  to  my  guide,  and 
sighed  till  my  heart  was  full  and  heavy,  I  returned  to 

ter  on  the  site  of  the  famous  defense  of  the  mound 
attacked  by  Dearborn,  Poor  and  Cilley.  That  this 
was  done  at  this  late  day  is  not,  however,  surprising, 
as  we  knew  that  near  the  spot  where  Eraser  was 
wounded,  some  forty  soldiers,  after  being  stripped  of 
their  clothing  by  the  women  of  the  camp,  were  buried 
in  one  trench,  a  mere  layer  of  earth  being  cast  upon 
them.  See,  also,  Neilson's  account  in  appendix.  In 
this  connection  we  quote  the  following : 

"  Revolutionary  Relics. —  We  were  last  week  shown 
about  200  canister  shot  and  bullets,  a  broken  bayonet 
and  a  silver  shoe  buckle  which  were  plowed  up  du- 
ring the  present  season  on  the  Saratoga  battle  ground 
at  Bemis'  Heights.  Many  of  the  bullets  were  much 
battered  and  some  of  them  split,  occasioned  doubt- 
less by  their  having  come  in  contact  with  a  harder 
substance  after  their  discharge  ;  the  bayonet  bore 
evident  marks  of  having  been  violently  broken  off, 
probably  during  the  conflict,  and  the  buckle  unques- 
tionably belonged  to  an  officer,  it  being  the  fashion 
of  that  day,  and  weighing  about  five-eighths  of  an 
ounce.  Several  of  the  bullets,  the  bayonet  and  buckle 
have  been  left  at  the  reading-rooms  for  inspection. 
The  annual  resort  to  this  consecrated  spot  having 
much  increased  of  late  years,  we  are  told  that  prep- 
arations are  now  going  forward  for  the  erection  of  a 
good  public  house  for  the  convenience  of  visitants. 
Such  an  establishment  has  been  much  needed,  and 
we  have  no  doubt  will  obtain  a  handsome  support." 
— From  an  old  Saratoga  county  paper  of  Aug.  5,  1834. 

"  An  Interesting  Relic. —  Mr.  Henry  A.  Near,  of 
Bemis'  Heights,  while  sowing  wheat  a  few  days  ago 


156  Hon.  William    Wirfs   Visit. 

my  quarters  *  and  slept  very  little,  to  my  honor,  with- 
out dreaming,  for  I  was  too  much  fatigued  to  sleep 
fancifully. 

on  his  farm  near  the  old  battle  ground,  picked  up  a 
large  lead  bullet  which,  besides  bearing  the  marks  of 
more  than  one  hundred  years  of  time,  is  scarred  with 
thirteen  clearly-cut  stars,  doubtless  made  by  some 
hero  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  suggested  by  the 
flag  which,  bearing  the  stars  and  stripes,  was  first  un- 
furled there.  It  is  an  interesting  relic. —  Saratoga 
Sun,  September  25,  1879. 

In  1823  Ebenezer  Leggett,  a  son  of  Isaac,  came 
from  Westchester  county  to  the  old  Freeman  farm, 
and  on  his  first  plowing  he  not  only  turned  up  a  num- 
ber of  skeletons,  rifle  and  cannon  balls,  but  also  the 
well-preserved  skeleton  of  an  officer,  a  part  of  his  red 
uniform  being  entire,  the  color  even  being  unchanged. 
When,  in  1846,  he  repaired  an  old  barn  on  the  prem- 
ises, occupying  the  site  of  Balcarras'  redoubt,  he 
found  some  money  in  gold  and  silver  to  the  amount 
of  $90,  apparently  carried  in  belts.  The  neighbors, 
however,  insisted  that  the  sum  thus  found  was  much 
larger.  In  this  connection  see  note  ante  about  Cong- 
don's  gold,  found  on  nearly  the  same  place  by  a  la- 
borer in  the  employ  of  Leggett. 

*  The  house  thus  indicated  was  undoubtedly  the 
"  old  Walker  homestead  "  built  by  Walker,  who  was 
in  the  battles,  and  which  is  situated  some  few  rods 
north  of  the  basswood  tree  under  which  Fraser  was 
shot.  It  is  still  (1895)  standing  and  owned  by  Joseph 
Rogers,  and  has  been  since  the  beginning  of  the 
present  century  the  place  where  all  visitors  stop  over 
night  on  their  visits  to  the  battle  grounds.  In  this 
house  is  still  to  be  seen  the  old  register  book  where 


Hon.   William    Wirfs   Visit.  157 

The  next  morning  I  took  another  ride  with  old 
Ezra  to  see  the  American  encampment,  and  above 

one  can  yet  recognize  the  signatures  of  John  Quincy 
Adams,  Calhoun,  Clay,  Webster,  Silliman,  Dwight, 
Wirt,  and  others  nearly  equally  distinguished,  show- 
ing that  amidst  all  the  turmoil  incident  to  political 
life  they  had  still  a  corner  left  in  their  hearts  for  their 
country's  dead. 

In  this  connection,  the  following  letter  from  Daniel 
Webster,  penned  immediately  after  his  visit  to  the 
battle  grounds,  is  of  interest ;  nor  can  the  observant 
reader  fail  to  notice  in  it  the  same  spirit  which  actu- 
ated Dr.  Johnson  in  the  account  of  "  His  visit  to  the 
Hebrides."  "  Far  from  me  and  my  friends  be  such 
frigid  philosophy,  etc." 

WEBSTER'S  LETTER. 

"BOSTON,   Oct.    II,  '28. 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND.  —  I  thank  you  for  your  letter 
of  Sept.  20,  detailing  the  incidents  of  your  tour.  It 
has  enabled  me  to  go  pretty  accurately  over  your 
track,  and  I  have  followed  you,  by  the  means  of  it, 
repeatedly  from  Boston,  'round  by  the  west  and  home 
to  Bangor.  I  well  understand  how  you  should  feel 
excited  by  visiting  such  places  as  Kingsbridge,  White 
Plains,  Bemis  Heights.  I  never  knew  a  man  yet,  nor 
a  woman  either,  with  a  sound  head  and  a  good  heart, 
that  was  not  more  or  less  under  the  power  which  those 
local  associations  exercise.  It  is  true  that  place  in 
these  things  is  originally  accidental ;  battles  might 
have  been  fought  elsewhere,  as  well  as  at  Saratoga  or 
Bennington ;  nevertheless  here  they  were  fought, 
and  nature  does  not  allow  us  to  pass  over  the  scene 
of  such  events  with  indifference,  unless  we  have  a 


158  Hon.  William    Wirt's   Visit. 

all,  Gates'  headquarters.  The  house  is  still  standing. 
It  is  a  small,  red,  hip-roofed,  one-storied  old  house 
that  has  quite  a  revolutionary  look.*  "  And  here,"  the 

good  share  of  bluntness  and  stupidity,  or  unless  the 
scenes  themselves  have  become  familiar  by  frequent 
visits  to  them.  For  my  part  I  love  them  all,  and  all 
such  as  they.  An  old  drum  hangs  up  in  the  Senate 
chamber  of  Massachusetts,  taken  from  the  Hessians 
at  Bennington,  and  I  do  not  think  I  ever  went  into 
the  room  without  turning  to  look  at  it.  And  that 
reminds  me  to  say  that  I  have  a  pair  of  silver  sleeve 
buttons,  the  material  of  which  my  father  picked  up 
on  and  brought  away  from  that  same  field  of  Ben- 
nington. If  I  thought  either  of  my  boys  would  not 
value  them  fifty  years  hence,  if  he  should  live  so  long, 
I  believe  I  would  begin  to  flog  him  now. 
******* 

"  But  I  must  stop  or  I  shall  write  a  sermon.  Adieu. 
I  have  not  written  so  tediously  long  a  letter  in  a 
twelvemonth. 

"  Give  every  good  wish  of  my  heart  to  your  wife, 
and,  as  we  Yorkers  say,  'the  same  to  yourself.' 
"  Yours  very  truly, 

"  DANL.  WEBSTER." 

h  This  house,  known  before  the  battles  as  well  as 
up  to  the  present  time,  as  the  "  old  Neilson  house," 
is  still  (1895)  standing  in  a  very  fair  state  of  preser- 
vation. As  stated  in  the  text,  it  was  the  headquar- 
ters of  Gates  during  both  battles,  a  tablet  —  as  men- 
tioned in  the  appendix  —  standing  in  the  yard  now, 
tells  its  history.  The  builder  of  the  house,  Neilson, 
was  an  old  Colonial  Revolutionary  guide.  See  his 
sons  anecdotes  in  the  appendix  to  this  volume. 


Hon.   William   Wirfs    Visit.  159 

old  man  said,  "  the  general  remained  during  both  of  the 
battles,"  which  were  fought  at  least  a  mile  from  this 
house,  and  certainly  out  of  sight.  "This,"  the  old 
guide  said,  "  he  was  told  was  right,  as  it  was  the 
general's  business  to  be  at  one  place  always  to  receive 
information  and  give  ideas."  Yet  the  old  fellow's 
look  had  a  glimpse  of  passing  cunning,  as  much  as 
to  say,  "  A  bad  excuse  is  better  than  none."  *  I  could 
not  help  thinking,  myself,  that  it  was  not  exactly  in 
the  style  of  Napoleon. 

But  what  do  you  think  of  these  armies  resting 
here  in  the  opposite  encampments  —  their  sentinels 
within  hail  of  each  other  for  seven  days  without 
striking  a  blow,  and  at  last  the  first  action  (the  iQth 
Sept.)  being  brought  on  by  accident !  Gates  had  a 
good  motive  for  the  delay  —  for  his  army  was  con- 
tinually gathering  strength  ;  but  that  Burgoyne,  in 
the  spirit  of  proud  and  contemptuous  invasion  —  with 
such  an  army  and  so  appointed  —  should  have  sat 
down  so  quietly  and  so  foolishly,  while  his  enemies 
were  hourly  increasing  in  strength,  satisfies  me  that 
he  was  no  Bonaparte.  But  the  Bonaparte  style  of 
daring  was  not  the  order  of  that  day.  But  enough 
of  judging  men  a  posteriore.  At  that  time  and  in 
their  place  we  might  have  done  the  same  or  worse. 

*  The  old  guide's  ideas  of  the  personal  poltroonery 
of  Gates  are  fully  corroborated  by  his  contempo- 
raries. Gates  was  really  an  arrant  coward.  See  my 
"  Burgoynes  Campaign"  and  "Ballads"  where  this 
subject  is  treated  in  full. 


160  Hon.  William   Wirfs   Visit. 

Poor  Gates !  this  was  his  first  and  last  field  of  glory  ! 
What  a  triumphant  opening  of  his  military  career  in 
America !  What  a  reverse  was  he  doomed  to  expe- 
rience in  one  short  year !  And  for  poor  Burgoyne, 
it  was  his  "  last  and  dying  speech  as  a  soldier."  So 
that  both  to  victor  and  to  vanquished,  it  was  the  pre- 
lude only  to  misfortune.  Such  is  the  passing  glory 
of  this  world ! 

Now,  as  to  Burgoyne !  Pray,  my  dear  brother,  did 
you  ever  read  the  sentimental  comedy  of  "  The 
Heiress,"  or  "  The  Maid  of  the  Oaks,"  or  did  you 
ever  hear  the  tender  and  elegant  songs  of  "  Anna's 
Urn,"  or  "For  Tenderness  Found?"  These  were 
written  by  Burgoyne  ;  and  although  our  printers,  our 
Revolutionary  officers  in  their  letters,  and  our  song  in- 
diters  of  that  day,  used  to  charge  him  with  bombast,  I 
do  think  that  he  was  one  of  the  most  classical  and 
elegant  writers  which  the  English  nation  has  pro- 
duced.* If  Burgoyne  had  been  born  to  the  wealth 
of  Byron  he  would  have  pitched  the  poetic  bar  be- 

*  The  writer's  estimate  of  Burgoyne's  literary  merit 
is  entirely  correct.  "The  Heiress"  was  welcomed 
on  its  first  appearance  by  crowded  audiences  with 
the  applause  it  so  well  merited.  Indeed,  the  sale  of 
ten  editions  in  one  year  bore  ample  testimony  to  its 
merits  as  a  chaste,  a  spirited  and  polished  composi- 
tion. For  an  account,  also,  under  which  the  song 
"  Anna's  Urn"  was  written,  as  well  as  for  a  full  life 
of  Burgoyne,  see  my  '•'Ballads  of  Burgoyne s  Cam- 
paign." 


Hon.   William    Wirfs   Visit.  161 

yond  him  by  many  a  league.  War  was  not  his  proper 
element.  While  upon  the  fields  of  his  battles  and 
final  surrender,  and  remembering  the  beautiful  and 
pathetic  effusions  of  genius  to  which  I  have  alluded, 
I  could  not  help  pitying  such  a  man,  whose  mistake 
of  his  own  character  had  put  him  at  the  head  of  a 
band  of  merciless,  tomahawking,  scalping  savages, 
and  "  damned  Hessians,  Hanovarians,  Auspachers, 
Waldenchers  and  Wolfenbiittles."  From  these  fields 
my  mind  followed  these  British  prisoners  to  their 
barracks  near  Charlottesville  [Va.],  and  then  came 
the  recollections  of  your  and  Bullock's  anecdotes  of 
that  place,  the  temporary  theatre  and  the  acting  of 
plays  by  the  British  officers.* 

This  is  a  pretty  long  letter,  and  it  is  time  to  stop. 
*  *  # 

The  "relics  will  be  addressed  to  the  care  of  John 
Gamble.  They  have  no  value,  except  from  the  asso- 
ciated sentiments  you  will  give  them ;  and,  perhaps, 
the  associated  image  of 

Your  friend, 

WILLIAM  WIRT." 

*  For  an  account  of  these  plays,  etc.,  see  my 
"  Revolutionary  Letters,"  Joel  Munsell  &  Sons, 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  1893. 

21 


VISIT  OF  P.  STANSBURY*  TO  THE  BATTLE  AND 
SURRENDER  GROUNDS  IN  SEPT.,  1821. 


Continuing  on  from  Waterford  with  the  high 
grounds  at  a  distance  on  my  left  and  the  Hudson 
rolling  on  my  right,  I  came  in  the  evening  to  the 
scattered  village  of  Stillwater,  the  well-known  scene 
of  the  most  important  events  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Burgoyne's  retreat  from  this  place  was  proba- 
bly the  preservation  of  the  States  of  New  England. 
He  had  been  sent  with  a  powerful  army,  stores,  ar- 
tillery, and  the  various  engines  of  war  necessary  for 
a  momentous  expedition  from  St.  Johns,  in  Lower 
Canada,  under  a  design  of  cutting  off  every  com- 
munication of  the  Southern  with  the  Eastern  States, 
which  were  considered  as  the  soul  of  the  Revolution 
in  America.  The  British  general,  Sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton, was  to  meet  him  at  Albany  from  New  York  and 
join  in  reducing  the  strongest  posts  in  these  quarters. 

*  Stansbury,  a  native  of  New  York  city,  was  a  per- 
son who  obtained  some  celebrity  at  the  time  by 
making  a  pedestrian  tour  of  over  2,000  miles  through 
New  York,  New  England  and  the  Canadas.  His 
account  of  his  travels  is  marked  by  considerable 
acuteness  of  observation. 


Stansburys  Letter.  163 

He  advanced   and    swept   all   before   him.     Crown 
Point,*    Ticonderoga,     Mount    Defiance.f     Mount 

*  Crown  Point  at  this  time  was  not  an  important 
fortress,  so  far,  at  least,  as  regards  its  strength. 
Rivingtoris  Gazette  for  May  6,  1773,  has  this  item: 
u  Accidental  fire  from  a  chimney  in  a  building  at 
Crown  Point  set  fire  to  other  buildings  and  the  maga- 
zine in  April.  The  magazine  blew  up  by  the  explo- 
sion of  100  pounds  of  powder,  resulting  in  all  the 
fortifications  and  other  buildings  being  destroyed." 

f  This  "  Mt.  Defiance,"  or  as  it  was  also  called, 
"  Sugar  Loaf  Hill,"  was  really  the  key  to  the  situa- 
tion, whichever  army  might  occupy  it.  As  early  as 
J  uly,  1 758,  Capt.  Stark  had  brought  the  fact  of  its  com- 
manding attitude  to  the  notice  of  Lord  Howe  (see 
Memoir  of  Caleb  Stark,  pg.  24).  Howe,  on  that 
occasion,  had  been  taken  by  Stark  to  its  summit - 
some  800  feet  in  height  —  overlooking  and  com- 
manding the  works  of  Ticonderoga.  Howe  even 
perceived  at  that  time  the  advantage  which  a  few 
pieces  of  artillery  placed  there  in  battery  would  afford 
a  besieging  army  on  the  garrison.  But  Gen. 
Abercrombie,  supposing  his  force  of  sufficient 
strength,  brought  no  artillery  with  his  army.  Again, 
in  1776,  Col.  John  Trumbull,  when  adjutant  for  the 
northern  department, 'had  called  the  attention  of  the 
American  general  to  this  same  thing.  When  he 
made  this  suggestion  he  was  laughed  at  by  his  mess ; 
but  he  soon  proved  the  accuracy  of  his  own  vision  by 
throwing  a  cannon  shot  to  the  summit,  and  subse- 
quently clambered  up  to  the  top,  dragging  a  cannon 
after  him,  accompanied  by  Cols.  Stevens,  Wayne  and 
Arnold.  Indeed,  it  was  a  criminal  neglect  on  the 
part  of  the  Americans  that  the  oversight  was  not  at 


164  Stansburys  Letter. 

Independence,*  Fort  George,  Fort  Edward  —  all 
were  compelled  to  yield  to  his  progress,  and  victory 
hovered  over  his  exulting  army  until  he  approached 
Saratoga,  within  a  few  miles  of  Stillwater. 

The  river  winds  in  its  course,  and  after  meandering 
through  the  flatlands  of  the  valley  here  bends  and 
runs  within  sixty  yards  of  the  foot  of  some  high  hills 
or  embankments  which  are  now  called  Bemis's 
Heights.  With  a  sensation  of  awe  I  slowly  paced 
the  road  to  the  spot  where  our  forefathers  fought 
and  conquered.  The  names  of  the  victorious  heroes 
crowded  upon  my  recollection  like  the  glittering  stars 
in  the  sky,  which  then  enabled  me  to  survey  the  am- 
biguous outline  of  the  landscape.  There  is  an  Innf 

once  corrected  by  the  construction  of  a  work  upon 
that  point,  which  would  have  commanded  the  whole 
post.  It  was  a  neglect,  however,  which  was  soon  to 
cost  them  dear,  for  owing  to  this  neglect,  St.  Clair 
was  obliged  to  evacuate  Ticonderoga.  There  is  still 
(1894)  to  be  seen  on  top  of  Mt.  Defiance  a  large  flat 
rock  with  the  holes  in  it  by  which  Burgoyne's  cannon 
were  made  fast. 

*  Mt.  Independence  was  a  smaller  hill  east  of  Mt. 
Defiance  on  the  Vermont  side,  and  separated  from  it 
by  the  outlet  of  Lake  George.  This  hill  was  forti- 
fied by  Gen.  Stark  in  1776,  by  order  of  Gen.  Gates, 
then  commanding  at  Ticonderoga.  In  clearing  the 
hill  to  prepare  for  erecting  the  works  the  troops  killed 
an  immense  number  of  rattlesnakes. 

fThe  "  Bemis  Tavern."  For  an  account  of  the 
landlord,  Bemis,  see  appendix. 


Stansburys  Letter.  165 

under  the  heights  where,  with  the  remembrance  of 
the  deeds  which  transpired  on  these  grounds,  I  con- 
tented myself  to  repose. 

BATTLE  OF  BEMIS'S  HEIGHTS. 

The  next  morning  the  son  of  the  innkeeper,  who 
was  himself  one  of  our  old  Revolutionary  warriors 
and  had  stood  somewhat  perspicuous  upon  this  mem- 
orable occasion,  volunteered  his  services  as  my  guide 
to  the  fields  of  battle. 

The  young  man  had  acquired  a  perfect  knowledge 
of  every  part  of  the  ground  and  every  circumstance 
of  the  engagements,  not  only  from  the  descriptions 
of  his  father  and  other  venerable  soldiers,  but  also 
from  an  attentive  perusal  of  the  histories  of  the  war. 

We  ascended  the  hill.  Few  vestiges  are  to  be 
seen  ;  the  plough  has  strove  with  insiduous  zeal  to 
destroy  even  these  few  remaining  evidences  of  Revo- 
lutionary heroism.  Each  succeeding  year  the  agri- 
culturist turns  afresh  the  sod  of  the  weather-beaten 
breastworks,  and  as  he  sweats  and  toils,  to  the  great 
anguish  of  the  antiquarian,  to  level  alike  mounds  and 
ditches,  he  exhibits  the  peaceful  efforts  of  that  liberty 
and  wide  independence  which  these  have  procured, 
over  whose  graves  he  tramples. 

When  Gen.  Burgoyne  advanced  to  this  place,  after 
crossing  the  Hudson  at  Saratoga  by  a  bridge  of  boats, 
he  found,  instead  of  a  flying  and  dispirited  army,  a 
large  and  resolute  army  to  stop  his  farther  progress. 
Gen.  Burgoyne  had  boasted  before  the  British  House 


1 66  Stansburys  Letter. 

of  Commons  that  with  4,000  men,  the  colonies  could  be 
reduced  into  subjection.  More  than  twice  that  num- 
ber were  now  enlisted  under  his  banners  —  resolute 
and  brave  veteran  soldiers,  who  were  already  begin- 
ning to  suffer  all  the  distress  and  fatigue  attendant 
upon  an  embarrassed  army.  Harrassed  by  the 
American  scouts,  shortened  in  the  usual  allowance 
of  provisions  and  enclosed  in  a  narrow  valley  with 
an  impassable  river  on  one  side,  hills  and  thick  for- 
ests on  the  other,  the  American  army  under  Gen. 
Gates  facing  them  in  front,  and  a  road  so  broken  in 
their  rear  as  to  allow  little  hopes  of  an  easy  return- 
ing march  ;  this  mighty  host,  which  came  thundering 
from  the  north  with  a  most  formidable  train  of  heavy 
brass  artillery,  stores  and  equipments,  now  shrunk 
from  an  army  of  untutored  militia. 

Above  the  heights  are  level  plains,  which  at  that 
time  were  partly  cleared  and  called  "  Freeman's 
Farm."'  Here  the  conflicting  armies  met.  They 

*  In  connection  with  "Freeman's  Farm  "  the  fol- 
lowing anecdote  is  not  without  interest.  A  Mr. 
Michael  Condon,  who  died  in  the  early  part  of  1891, 
was  once  a  day  laborer  on  the  farm  now  known  as 
"  Freeman's  Farm."  He  had  been  set  to  work  dig- 
ging or  otherwise  on  the  farm  ;  and  when  at  noon 
the  owner  of  the  farm  came  along  he  found  a  hole 
dug  in  the  ground  in  which  there  were  yet  one  or 
two  gold  pieces  scattered  around.  These,  as  the 
owner  of  the  farm,  he  claimed  and  took.  A  year 
afterward  Mr.  Condon  bought  and  paid  for  a  very  ex- 
pensive farm,  which  is  known  to  this  day  as  the 


Stansburys  Letter.  167 

fought  from  three  in  the  afternoon  (Sept.  19,  1777) 
until  day  closed  upon  the  bloody  scene  and  obliged 
the  combatants  to  separate. 

Though  the  British  claimed  the  victory,  no  ad- 
vantages resulted  to  them  from  this  engagement. 
Both  armies  began  to  throw  up  entrenchments  and 
fortify  their  camps  in  the  strongest  possible  manner.* 

"  Battle  Farm,"  and  while  no  one  could  say  positively 
that  it  was  bought  with  these  gold  pieces,  yet  no  one 
doubted  the  fact.  See  note  ante. 

*  Burgoyne's  camp,  however,  was  in  a  continual 
state  of  alarm  from  this  time  until  the  final  battle  of 
the  7th  of  October.  One  incident  among  many  of  a 
similar  character  may  be  mentioned.  During  all  of 
this  time  his  (Burgoyne's)  officers  and  soldiers  were 
constantly  dressed  and  ready  for  action.  One  night 
twenty  young  farmers,  residing  near  his  camp,  re- 
solved to  capture  his  advance  picket  guard.  Armed 
with  fowling-pieces  they  marched  silently  through  the 
woods  until  they  were  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
picket.  They  then  rushed  from  the  brushes,  the 
captain  blowing  an  old  horse  trumpet,  and  the  men 
yelling.  There  was  no  time  for  the  sentinels  to  hail. 
"  Ground  your  arms  or  you  are  all  dead  men,"  cried 
the  patriot  captain.  Thinking  that  a  large  force  had 
fallen  upon  them,  the  picket  obeyed.  As  a  result  of 
this  daring  the  young  farmers,  with  all  the  parade  of 
regulars,  marched  before  them  to  the  American  camp 
over  thirty  British  soldiers.  Innumerable  instances 
are  given  by  contemporary  writers  of  the  intensity 
and  bitterness  of  the  feelings  of  the  Whigs  against 
the  Tories  at  this  time,  one  of  which  may  be  here 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  battle  of  Benning- 


1 68  Stansburys  Letter. 

The  field  of  battle  extends  one  mile  back  from  the 
road  by  the  river.  The  entrenchments  of  the  two 
camps  can  to  this  day  be  traced,  almost  razed  in  some 
places,  and  in  others  overgrown  with  bushes  and  tall 
forest  trees.  The  line  of  Burgoyne's  camp,  which 
lay  north  of  the  Americans,  is  visible  and  daily  wash- 
ing away  and  exposing  rotten  logs,  which,  in  part, 
composed  the  breastworks.  Upon  a  range  of  knolls 
square  redoubts  are  very  perceptible,  from  which  the 
Americans  commanded  the  passage  of  the  road  and 
river ;  another  wide  redoubt  is  turned  into  a  buck- 
wheat field,  with  its  venerable  moats  and  parapets 
forming  the  enclosure.  About  a  half  a  mile  west 
from  these  redoubts  stand  the  farm-house  and 
barns  —  which,  after  the  battle  of  the  iQth,  were  oc- 
cupied as  hospitals.  The  farm-house  is  large,  painted 
red,  untenanted  and  ready  to  fall.  It  was  the  head- 
quarters of  Gen.  Gates,  who,  when  the  engagement 
was  over,  generally  removed  into  a  tent  and  gave  up 
his  rooms  to  the  wounded  soldiers. 

ton.  In  reading  this  the  reader  will  doubtless  recall 
the  fray  of  the  two  brothers  Butler  in  the  Wyoming 
massacre  (see  my  father's  History  of  Wyoming). 
The  anecdote  to  which  we  here  particularly  call  at- 
tention is  as  follows  :  An  old  gentleman  in  speaking, 
at  the  age  of  90,  about  these  occurrences,  says  :  "  On 
my  way  back  I  got  the  belt  of  a  Hessian  whose  sword 
I  had  taken  in  the  pursuit.  One  Tory  with  his  left 
eye  shot  out  was  led  by  me,  mounted  on  a  horse, 
who  had  also  lost  his  left  eye.  It  seems  cruel  now 
—  it  did  not  then." 


Stansburys  Letter.  169 

My  conductor,  seating  himself  upon  an  elevated 
rail-fence,  where  I  also  mounted,  and,  taking  content- 
edly an  apple  from  the  bough  of  a  luxuriant  tree 
which  had  fixed  its  roots  upon  the  rounded  top  of  one 
of  the  ancient  ramparts,  pointed  to  different  points 
of  the  plain.  "  There,"  said  he  "  is  an  old  barn  still 
standing,  which  stood  within  the  British  line  of  en- 
campment, and  there  is  the  spot  where  Col.  Cilley 
straddled  a  twelve-pounder,  which  had  been  taken 
twice  from  the  enemy.  Here  stood  the  tents  of  the 
American  army ;  the  soldiers  were  idly  sitting  or  re- 
posing in  them,  when  an  officer  was  seen  riding  over 
the  plain  ;  the  generals  met  him  and  immediately 
all  were  in  arms,  forming  into  companies  or  march- 
ing in  order  of  battle.  Yonder  a  troop  of  wounded 
dragoons  were  coming  from  the  engagement  toward 
the  hospital ;  death  sat  upon  their  countenances,  blood 
ran  from  their  bodies,  and  as  the  mournful  train 
slowly  advanced  some  one  of  them,  at  every  short 
distance,  fell  from  his  horse  and  expired  on  the  ground." 

The  period  between  the  iQth  of  September  and 
the  second  engagement  on  the  7th  of  October  was 
full  of  painful  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  British.  Not 
a  day  passed  without  the  death  of  some  soldier  or 
officer,  shot  by  the  American  scouts  and  marksmen.* 

*  "  Burgoyne's  army  was  as  good  as  cut  off  from 
its  outposts,  while  in  consequence  of  its  proximity  to 
the  American  camp,  the  soldiers  had  but  little  rest. 
The  nights  also  were  rendered  hideous  by  the  howls 
of  large  packs  of  wolves,  that  were  attracted  by  the 
22 


1 70  Stansburys  Letter. 

And  at  this  moment  the  Indians,  when  their  assist- 
ance was  most  needed,  deserted  from  the  cause  un- 
der which  they  had  enlisted.  Their  defection  was 
occasioned  by  the  disappointment  of  their  hopes  of 
plunder  and  by  the  notice  which  Gen.  Burgoyne  was 
in  honor  obliged  to  take  of  the  cruel  massacre  of 
Miss  McCrea.* 

On  the  7th  of  October  the  royal  army  was  ob- 
served advancing,  prepared  for  action.  Their  design 
was  to  force  a  passage  through  the  American  lines  ; 
or,  if  they  failed,  to  dislodge  them  from  their  en- 
trenchments, and  retreat  by  way  of  Lake  George. 
The  American  troops  were  in  readiness  to  repulse 
the  attack,  and  the  engagement  soon  became  gene- 
ral. A  tremendous  fire  ensued.  The  thunder  of  the 
British  cannon  was  dreadful.  After  a  contest  of  the 
most  sanguinary  kind,  which  lasted  a  great  part  of 
the  afternoon,  the  victory  was  at  last  decided  in  favor 
of  the  American  army,  and  the  enemy,  leaving  many 
of  their  officers  highest  in  command  wounded  or 

partially-buried  bodies  of  those  slain  in  the  action  of 
the  iQth.  On  the  ist  of  October  a  few  English  sol- 
diers, who  were  digging  potatoes  in  a  field  a  short 
distance  in  the  rear  of  headquarters,  within  the  camp, 
were  surprised  by  the  enemy,  who  suddenly  rushed 
from  the  woods  and  carried  off  the  men  in  the  very 
faces  of  their  comrades."-  -Stones  Burgoyne s  Cam- 
paign. 

*  For  a  true  account  of  the  murder  of  Miss  McCrea 
see  my  Burgoyne  Ballads. 


Stansburys  Letter.  171 

slain,  upon  the  field  and  several  pieces  of  their  brass 
artillery,  fled  precipitately  into  their  lines.  The 
Americans  pursued  and  commenced  a  ferocious  as- 
sault upon  their  camp,  which  was  in  part  carried  when 
night  once  more  closed  upon  the  bloody  scene. 

This  defeat  was  signal.  Gen.  Burgoyne,  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night,  after  leaving  fires  kindled  and 
some  tents  standing,  led  back  his  weak,  dispirited 
army  on  the  road  they  had  before  travelled  as  far  as 
Saratoga,  where  he  remained  until  the  articles  of  sur- 
render were  signed  on  the  i7th  of  October,  1777. 
The  British,  who  not  long  before  had  advanced  in 
such  overwhelming  numbers  and  with  such  a  formid- 
able array  of  strength  and  equipments,  were  now  con 
ducted  mournful  captives  between  two  files  of  vic- 
torious troops  into  the  very  city  of  Albany,  in  which 
they  had  thought  with  the  greater  \sic\  certainty  of 
spending  a  happy  winter.* 

A  trench  and  rampart  overgrown  with  bushes  and 
crowned  with  a  rail  fence  runs  from  the  foot  of 
Bemis's  Heights  across  the  meadow  to  the  bank  of 
the  Hudson  river.  It  formed  a  part  of  the  American 
line  of  entrenchments.  Where  it  is  terminated  at 
the  edge  of  the  river  a  sentinel  was  walking  late  in 
the  night  after  the  battle  of  the  7th,  when  a  boat 
appeared  moving  down  the  stream,  which  he  hailed. 
The  boat  put  ashore  under  a  flag  of  truce  and  a 

*  In  corroboration  of  this,  see  ante  an  anecdote 
about  Fraser. 


1 72  Stansburys  Letter, 

beautiful  lady,  with  her  attendants,  ascended  the 
bank.  This  was  Lady  Harriet  Acland.  Her  hus- 
band was  wounded  and  a  prisoner  in  the  American 
camp.  With  a  heroism  seldom  to  be  met  with  she 
had  thus  ventured,  on  a  cold  stormy  night,  in  the 
midst  of  her  enemies,  without  knowing  whose  hands 
she  might  fall  into  in  order  to  quiet  her  dreadful  ap- 
prehensions respecting  the  fate  of  her  husband  and 
to  attend  upon  him  until  he  should  be  recovered  of 
his  wounds.  Major  Dearborn,*  who  commanded  the 
guards,  conducted  her  into  a  cabin  of  his  own,  where 
an  apartment  was  cleared,  a  fire  kindled  and  supper 
prepared.  She  remained  until  the  morning  and  was 
then  escorted  with  the  honors  due  to  her  rank  and 
condition  into  the  American  camp.f 

*  For  a  correct  sketch  of  Dearborn,  see  "  Apple- 
ton's  Biographical  Encyclopaedia;"  also  Gen.  James 
Grant  Wilson's  letter  in  "  The  Dearborns,"  Chicago, 
Fergus  Printing  Co.,  1884;  Coffin's  "  Life  of  Dear- 
born." In  1794  Louis  Philippe  (afterward  king  of 
France)  and  Talleyrand  visited  Gen.  Dearborn  at 
Pittston,  Me.,  and  remained  several  days.  Fort 
Dearborn  (now  Chicago,  111.),  was  named  after  him. 
The  original  M  SS. "  J  ournal  of  Gen.  Dearborn,"  never 
printed,  is  in  the  Boston  library.  Through  the  kind- 
ness of  the  librarian  I  have  obtained  a  copy  of  it. 

f  A  full  life  of  Lady  Acland  will  be  found  in  my 
"Burgoyne  Ballads."  Indeed,  the  entire  subject  of 
the  Burgoyne  campaign  is  so  vast,  that  in  order  not 
to  duplicate  my  statements  I  only  give  references  to 
where  such  and  such  topics  are  treated. 


Stansbury's  Letter.  1 73 

The  house  which  the  British  army  made  their  hos- 
pital is  about  three  miles  from  the  town  where  I  had 
stopped,  and  is  colloquially  termed  in  the  neighbor- 
hood the  house  where  Fraser  died.  It  is  now  called 
Smith's  tavern.*  There  is  a  wide  meadow  between 
it  and  the  high  grounds  under  which  it  formerly  stood. 
It  has  since  been  removed  half  a  mile  to  the  bank  of 
the  river.  Its  form  is  antique,  the  rooms  are  large 
and  not  in  the  least  ruinous.  The  Baroness  de 
Riedesel,  with  her  three  infant  children,  who  had  ac- 
companied her  husband,  Major-General  Riedesel, 
commander  of  the  German  troops  from  Canada, 
through  all  the  horrors  of  war,  here  occupied  a  room, 
whilst  the  adjoining  apartments  were  filled  with  the 
wounded  and  the  dying.  In  the  afternoon  of  the 
second  battle  she  expected  the  generals  to  dine  with 
her  at  four  o'clock,  when,  instead  of  the  guests,  Gen. 
Fraser  was  brought  in  carried  on  a  litter  mortally 
wounded.  The  table  was  instantly  removed.  By 
some,  indeed,  it  is  related  that  the  dishes  and  every 
article  on  the  table  were  swept  upon  the  floor  and 
Gen.  Fraser  was  laid  upon  it  instead  of  a  bed.  This 
brave  and  gallant  soldier  died  the  next  day,  and,  ac- 
cording to  his  request,  his  corpse  was  borne  without 
parade  to  the  top  of  the  hill  behind  the  house,  where 
a  redoubt  had  been  built  and  is  still  visible.  The 

*  Also  called  at  the  time  of  the  battle  "  the  Taylor 
house."  For  a  picture  of  it  see  my  "  Letters  of 
Madame  Riedesel.' 


1 74  Stansburys  Letter. 

procession,  accompanied  by  Gen.  Burgoyne  and  the 
principal  officers,  slowly  ascended  the  hill  in  sight  of 
both  armies  and  under  a  continual  fire  from  the 
Americans.  The  funeral  service  was  performed  in 
the  usual  manner,  but  the  solemnity  of  interment 
was  rendered  strikingly  awful  by  the  cannon  balls 
which  now  and  then  covered  the  mournful  train  with 
clouds  of  dust*  His  remains  are  removed  to  Eng- 
land, f  The  hill  is  known  by  its  standing  directly 
back  of  the  house  and  having  the  trees  and  bushes 
cleared  away  from  its  sides. 

The  road  leading  to  the  village  of  Saratoga  [now 
Schuylerville,  N.  Y.]  is  uneven  and  recedes  from  the 
river,  which  at  intervals  may  be  seen  rolling  its  di- 
minished current  among  the  trees  and  meadows,  near 
the  Fishkill,  a  creek  [having  its  source  in  Saratoga 
lake]  falling  into  the  Hudson.  The  ruins  of  an  old 
church,  celebrated  in  the  bloody  scenes  of  the  Revo- 
lution, were  lying  at  the  roadside,  having  been  very 
lately  pulled  down  on  account  of  its  decayed  condi- 
tion. The  unfinished  bed  of  the  Northern  canal, 

*  As  soon,  however,  as  the  Americans  discovered 
that  it  was  a  burial  and  not  a  new  military  manoeuvre, 
to  take  possession  of  a  strategic  point,  the  firing  was 
immediately  discontinued,  and  yet  English  historians, 
with  true  British  venom,  continue  to  repeat  this 
yarn.  For  a  sketch  of  Gen.  Eraser  see  my  "  Bur- 
goyne Ballads." 

f  An  error.  For  the  origin  of  this  report  of  the 
removal  of  Fraser's  remains  see  my  "  Burgoyne's 
Campaign,"  Appendix. 


Stansburys  Letter.  175 

which  is  to  connect  Lake  Champlain  with  the  Hud- 
son, runs  sometimes  on  one  side  and  sometimes  on 
the  other  side  of  the  road.  On  the  left  the  high 
bank  of  the  creek  extends,  upon  which  Gen.  Gates, 
with  the  main  body  of  the  American  army,  was  posted 
after  pursuing  to  this  place  the  retreating  enemy.  A 
descendant  of  Gen.  Schuyler,  who  first  commanded 
against  Burgoyne,  has  a  seat  situated  upon  a  point 
formed  by  the  junction  of  the  two  streams  and  ad- 
jacent a  large  establishment  of  mills.* 

Saratoga  consists  of  a  few  scattered  houses.  The 
situation,  however,  is  pleasant,  with  the  Hudson  be- 
low, divided  by  two  romantic  islands,  the  Battenkill  f 

*  For  a  more  particular  account  of  these  mills  see 
Chastellux's  letter. 

f  The  Battenkill,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Hudson  river,  flows  rapidly  from  the  Green  moun- 
tains of  Vermont,  and  after  a  picturesque  fall  enters 
that  river  some  half  a  mile  above  the  village  of 
Schuylerville,  N.  Y.  The  name  "  Battenkill "  is  a 
remarkable  example  of  a  name  entirely  lost  by  con- 
traction. Its  origin  was  as  follows :  A  Dutchman 
named  Bartholomew  Van  Hogeboom  was  the  first 
settler  at  the  mouth  of  this  creek  and  it  was  named 
Bartholomew's  Kill.  He  was  usually  called  "Bart" 
or  "  Bat,"  and  the  creek  was  called  "  Bat's  Kill."  It 
now  appears  on  our  maps  and  in  gazetteers  Batten- 
kill,  giving  scarcely  a  hint  of  its  origin.  For  the 
benefit  of  fishermen,  of  which  guild  I  am  one,  I  here 
append  a  clipping  from  a  Washington  county  paper. 
The  Cambridge  Post,  of  Aug.  13,  1887,  says:  "Fish- 
ermen had  only  fair  luck  the  first  of  May.  At  an 


1 76  Stansburys  Letter. 

pouring  its  waters  from  the  east  and  the  high  moun- 
tains of  Vermont  rising  in  sight,  all  which  is  en- 
hanced by  the  recollection  of  the  glory  which  the 
American  arms  there  acquired.  The  royal  army  oc- 
cupied the  heights,  where  they  were  completely  sur- 
rounded by  the  American  battalions  and  compelled 
(Oct.  1 7)  to  surrender  prisoners  of  war. 

The  American  soldiers  lined  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  river  and  poured  continual  volleys  into  the  British 
encampment.  A  large  farm-house  stands  upon  a  hill 
not  far  from  the  village,  against  which  they  kept  up 
a  terrible  cannonade  under  the  mistaken  idea  that  in 
it  all  the  generals  were  assembled.  But  it  contained 
only  wounded  soldiers  and  the  officers'  wives,  who 
had  taken  shelter  from  their  destructive  fire.  The 

early  hour  the  brooks  were  lined.  The  Battenkill 
was  so  high  that  it  was  impossible  to  do  anything  in 
it,  and  resort  was  had  to  the  smaller  brooks.  The 
fish  were  coy  and  did  not  bite  well,  and  the  total 
number  taken  was  much  smaller  than  last  year.  This 
was  partly  compensated  for,  however,  by  the  size  of 
some  that  were  taken.  H.  M.  Wells  was  'high  hook.' 
He  captured  a  beauty  at  the  old  Wilcox  bridge,  south 
of  this  village,  20^  inches  long,  and  weighing  two 
pounds  and  thirteen  ounces.  James  S.  Smart  caught 
a  pound  and  one-half  trout  in  Battenkill,  and  John 
Rice  one  of  the  same  weight  in  the  furnace  brook. 
George  L.  Williams  captured  a  pound  fish,  and  Irv- 
ing Willard  displayed  a  fine  mess,  caught,  it  is  said, 
in  a  fly  manner  with  a  silver  hackle.  The  snow  water 
is  running  yet,  and  it  will  be  some  days  before  the 
fishing  will  be  prime." 


Stansburys  Letter.  177 

Baroness  Riedesel,  with  her  infant  children,  being  in 
the  house,  was  obliged  to  seek  refuge  in  the  cellar, 
where  she  remained  during  a  whole  night,  her  chil- 
dren sleeping  on  the  cold  earth  with  their  heads  on 
her  lap. 

This  house  was  shown  to  me  ;  it  is  called  "  Bushee's 
House,"  and  remains  still  in  a  very  good  condition. 
The  hill  upon  which  it  stands  accords  exactly  with 
that  engraved  on  the  map  in  Smith's  "  History  of  the 
American  War."  The  present  tenants  received  me 
politely  and  pointed  out  the  several  rooms,  rendered 
famous  for  the  remarkable  occurrences  which  trans- 
pired between  these  walls.*  In  one  room  an  unfor- 

*  Now  (1895)  called  the  "Marshall  House."  The 
historical  character  of  this  house,  situated  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  north  of  the  village  of  Schuyler- 
ville,  makes  it  an  object  of  peculiar  interest  to  all 
visitors,  in  connection  with  the  ground  occupied  by 
the  British  forces  previous  to  the  surrender  of  Gene- 
ral Burgoyne.  After  the  English  army  had  retreated 
from  Freeman's  farm  and  had  crossed  the  Fishkill, 
it  was  during  the  whole  period  of  the  British  en- 
campment until  the  day  of  surrender  the  refuge 
of  that  most  remarkable  and  intelligent  German 
woman,  Madame  Frederika  Riedesel,  the  wife  of 
Major-General  Riedesel.  The  severe  and  trying 
ordeal  through  which  she  patiently  and  heroically 
passed  in  this  house,  as  related  by  her  in  so  graphic 
a  manner  in  her  letters  during  the  environment  of 
the  royal  army  by  the  Continental  forces,  is  of  such 
an  impressive  nature  as  to  make  the  place  and  the 
incidents  pertaining  to  it  one  of  the  most  notable 
23 


1 78  Stansburys  Letter. 

tunate  soldier  was  lying  on  the  table,  for  the  purpose 
of  having  his  leg  amputated,  when  a  cannon  ball 

in  history.  At  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  war 
this  property  was  owned  by  a  family  of  Lansings, 
who,  on  the  approach  of  the  Indians  attached  to 
Burgoyne's  army,  fled  and  left  it  unprotected.  It 
seems,  however,  from  the  narrative  of  Madame 
Riedesel,  that  there  was  a  woman  —  whether  a  do- 
mestic or  a  member  of  the  owner's  family  is  not  quite 
clear — who  rendered  her  various  important  services 
while  she  and  her  children  were  sheltered  in  the  cel- 
lar, and  whom,  when  they  left  the  house,  they  gave 
a  generous  recompense.  As  described  in  a  deed 
from  Peter  Lansing  to  Samuel  Bushe,  dated  April  30, 
1803,  the  land  on  which  the  house  is  situated  was 
known  as  "lot  number  one  of  the  loth  allotment  in 
the  general  division  of  Kayaderosseras  patent," 
bounded  on  the  south  by  the  north  line  of  the  Sara- 
toga patent,  containing  about  forty  acres.  In  a  con- 
veyance of  the  same  by  Samuel  Bushe  to  Abraham 
Marshall,  his  father-in-law,  dated  December  7,  1817, 
the  property  is  described  as  lying  west  of  the  road 
leading  from  Bacon  Hill,  in  the  town  of  Northum- 
berland, to  Joseph  Welsh,  in  the  town  of  Saratoga. 
It  states  that  Samuel  Bushe  reserved  one-half  of  the 
dwelling-house,"  viz.:  the  north-half  thereof,  from 
the  center  of  the  hall,  and  the  one-half  of  the  kitchen 
attached  to  said  dwelling-house,  and  the  free  use 
thereof  until  another  kitchen  be  built  upon  the  said 
premises.  From  the  family  register  in  an  old  King 
James  Bible,  printed  in  Edinburgh  by  Mark  and 
Charles  Kerr,  MDCCLXXXIX,  in  the  possession 
(1894)  of  the  widow  of  William  B.  Marshall,  it  is 
learned  that  Abraham  Marshall  was  born  on  the 


Stansburys  Letter.  179 

passed  through  the  house  and  carried  away  his  other 
leg.     His  attendants  had  absconded  to  the  cellar  and 

1 5th  of  February,  1730,  and  had  a  son  by  his  wife 
Susannah,  named  Samuel,  who  was  born  April  9, 
1771.  The  latter  was  the  father  of  Wm.  B.  Mar- 
shall, born  February,  1823,  and  who  married  Jane 
M.  Griswold,  of  Milton,  Saratoga  county,  N.  Y.,  May 
i,  1844,  the  present  (1894)  owner  of  the  house  — 
who  is  one  of  the  most  patriotic  ladies  of  the  day, 
and  who  takes  great  pride  in  her  possession. 

Although  the  old  house  was  remodeled  about  a 
decade  ago,  the  greater  part  of  it  still  remains  as  it 
was  originally  built.  The  flooring  of  yellow  pine 
plank,  fifteen  inches  wide,  and  held  in  place  by 
wrought  iron  nails,  is  still  to  be  seen,  upon  which  the 
blood  stains  of  the  wounded  soldier  who  was  struck 
by  a  cannon  ball  are  visible.  On  the  loth  of  Oc- 
tober, a  cannon  ball  shot  from  Col.  Fellow's  field- 
piece  on  the  hill  a  little  north  of  the  Battenkill  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  river,  struck  the  north-east  cor- 
ner of  the  house,  and  entering  the  hall,  tore  away  a 
part  of  the  baseboard,  and  passing  across  the  room, 
perforated  the  partition  made  of  two-inch  plank,  set 
edge  to  edge,  which  separated  the  north  room  from 
the  center  hall.  The  partition  planks  are  still  to  be 
seen  in  the  cellar. 

The  original  front  door  in  two  parts,  upper  and 
lower,  the  old  lock  and  key,  window  frames,  several 
windows,  the  ballustrade  of  the  stairway  to  the  upper 
chambers,  and  wrought  iron  door  catch  are  still  pre- 
served and  shown  to  visitors.  Among  the  relics  and 
heirlooms  in  the  family  is  a  gold  coin  with  the  date 
1776,  and  the  inscription,  Georgius  III,  Dei  Gratia, 
cannon  balls,  grape,  a  piece  of  an  eight-inch  shell, 


180  Stansburys  Letter. 

other  places  of  security,  and  when  they  returned 
they  found  the  miserable  man  in  a  corner  where  he 
had  crept  scarcely  exhibiting  any  signs  of  life.*  As 

several  old  and  peculiar  shaped  axes  dug  up  in  the 
yard,  and,  likely,  belonging  to  the  British  army,  and 
other  mementoes  are  to  be  seen.  The  most  interest- 
ing part  of  the  house  is  the  old  cellar  so  accurately  de- 
scribed by  Madame  Riedesel.  Here  is  to  be  seen 
the  very  apartment  which  she  and  her  children  occu- 
pied during  the  cannonading  of  the  house,  and  also  the 
former  entrance  to  the  cellar  to  which  she  refers,  the 
heavy  ten-inch  square  beams  and  the  strong  stone 
foundation.  The  house  has  a  very  commanding  view 
of  the  river  and  surrounding  country.  It  is  about 
250  feet  west  of  the  road  to  Fort  Miller,  and  a  short 
distance  from  the  Hudson  river,  toward  which  it 
fronts. 

Dr.  N.  C.  Harris,  of  Schuylerville,  with  praise- 
worthy zeal,  erected,  June  7,  1879,  m  tne  ^ront  yard 
of  the  house  facing  and  in  plain  sight  of  the  road, 
an  iron  post  with  thirteen-inch  base,  twelve  feet  high, 
with  a  plate  inscribed  upon  it :  "  House  occupied  by 
Madame  Riedesel  and  the  wounded  officers  of  Gen. 
Burgoyne's  army,  October  loth,  1777." 

*  For  a  detailed  account  of  this  sad  episode,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  my  translation  of  Mrs.  Gen. 
Riedesel's  letters. 

This  incident  recalls  a  similar  one  which  occurred 
in  the  naval  battle  during  our  late  civil  war,  between 
the  Kearsage  and  the  Alabama,  igth  of  June,  1864. 
During  that  action,  as  Asst.  Surgeon  Llewellyn,  of 
the  Alabama,  was  waiting  upon  the  wounded  in  the 
ward-room,  his  table  and  a  patient  lying  upon  it  were 
swept  away  from  him  by  an  eleven-inch  shell  which 


Stansburys  Letter.  1 8 1 

no  person  dared  to  fetch  water  from  the  river,  it  soon 
became  extremely  scarce,  until  a  soldier's  wife  boldly 
ventured  to  the  shore,  at  whom  the  Americans,  out 
of  respect  [and  out  of  chivalric  courtesy  for  which 
they  are  so  distinguished]  did  not  fire.  For  this  dis- 
interestedness she  was  afterward  handsomely  re- 
warded. Strange  stories  are  told  about  spots  of 
blood  which  no  washings  could  ever  erase  from  the 
floor,  but  which,  it  appears,  are  at  last  hidden  from 
sight  by  several  coverings  of  paint. 

At  Saratoga,  few  marks  of  the  encampments  are 
discernable.  My  host,  toward  evening,  conducted 
me  to  a  large  field,  divided  by  a  narrow  piece  of 
woods,  over  which  a  few  risings  of  earth  and  scarcely 
perceptible  excavations,  gave  evidence  of  the  para- 
pets and  moats  which  had  been  there  and  which  the 
cultivators  of  the  ground  were  endeavoring  to  reduce 
all  to  the  same  level,  whilst  an  insignificant  French 
redoubt  (Fort  Hardy),  situated  on  a  fertile  meadow 
near  the  river,  has  been  suffered  to  remain  near  a 
century  untouched  by  the  plow  and  defended  by 
thick  bushes  from  the  attacks  of  nature.* 

opened  in  the  side  of  the  ship  an  aperture  that  fast 
filled  the  vessel  with  water.  See  Century  Magazine 
for  April,  1886. 

*  For  a  reference  to  Ft.  Hardy  see  note  in  advance. 


GENERAL  HOYT'S  VISIT  TO  THE  BATTLE 
GROUND  IN   1825.* 


The   following  is  from  a  tour  of  the   late   Gen. 

o 

Hoyt,  of  Deerfield,  Massachusetts,  made  to  the  battle 
ground  forty-eight  years  after  the  surrender  of  Bur- 
goyne : 

From  Troy  we  proceeded  up  the  Hudson  in  an 
extra  stage,  through  Waterford,  Mechanicville  and 
Stillwater  village  to  Ketchum's  tavern  at  Bemis' 
Heights,  the  position  taken  up  by  Gen.  Gates'  army 
September  12,  1777,  where  we  found  good  accommo- 
dations. At  this  place  there  are  now  several  houses, 
and  among  others  the  handsome  residence  of  Dr. 

*  Gen.  Epaphras  Hoyt,  historian,  was  born  in  Deer- 
field,  Mass.,  December  31,  1765;  died  there  Feb- 
ruary 8,  1850.  He  held  many  civil  and  military 
offices,  was  major-general  of  the  Massachusetts 
militia  and  devoted  his  life  to  perfecting  the  volun- 
teer militia  system  of  the  country.  He  had  a  com- 
mission sent  him  by  the  secretary  of  war  of  the 
United  States  by  Gen.  Knox,  dated  June  5,  1794, 
but  circumstances  prevented  his  acceptance  of  it. 
Soon  after  his  death,  the  late  Luther  B.  Lincoln, 
an  intimate  friend  of  Gen.  Hoyt,  and  principal 
of  the  Deerfield  academy  (of  which  Gen.  Hoyt 
was  a  trustee),  delivered  an  address  upon  his  life  and 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  183 

Willard,  of  Albany,  standing  near  the  site  of  Bemis' 
house,  which  gave  the  name  to  Gates'  camp. 

Resolving  to  give  the  battle  grounds  a  thorough 
reconnoisance,  in  the  morning  we  set  out  on  foot 
and  traversed  the  fields  in  various  directions.  My 
companion,  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  battle  of  the  7th 

character  before  the  lyceum  of  that  village,  which 
was  published  March  10,  1851.  His  published  works 
are:  "Discipline  for  the  Cavalry"  (1798);  "Prac- 
tical Illustrations  for  Military  Officers,  with  Plates 
and  Military  Dictionary"  (1811);  "Cavalry  Disci- 
pline and  Rules  and  Regulations  for  Drill  and  Saber 
Exercise,  etc.,  Illustrated  with  Plates"  (1813);  and 
"Antiquarian  Researches,  or  Indian  Wars"  (1824). 
At  his  death  he  left  completed,  with  maps,  a  work  for 
publication  entitled,  "  Burgoyne's  Campaigns,"  and 
had  partly  finished  a  history  of  the  French  and 
Indian  wars. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  Prof.  Lincoln's 
address:  "The  spirit  of  generous  philanthropy, 
which  was  a  distinguished  trait  in  Gen.  Hoyt's  char- 
acter, was  accompanied  by  a  delicate  sense  of  honor, 
not  that  foolish  passion  which  sometimes  creeps  into 
the  weak  mind  under  an  assumed  name  and  makes 
such  havoc  of  the  inflamed  soul,  as  ridiculous  as  it  is 
void  of  principle,  but  that  sense  of  true  honor  which 
demands  from  the  world  acknowledgment  of  its  in- 
alienable rights,  the  defense  due  to  its  birthright  as 
a  child  of  God,  and  a  corresponding  readiness  to  pay 
the  same  full,  generous  overflowing  measure  of 
respect  into  the  bosom  of  every  object  in  the  form  of 
humanity.  This  trait,  I  think,  must  have  been 
eminently  marked  by  all  of  you  who  knew  him.  For 


184  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

of  October,  appeared  alive  to  the  many  associations 
connected  with  that  important  event.  We  first  traced 
the  lines  of  Gates'  camp,  which  in  some  places  still 
furrow  the  ground,  particularly  on  the  extreme  left, 
where  the  curtains  and  bastions  are  distinctly  to  be 
seen.  The  old  red  house,  not  far  from  the  centre  of 
the  camp,  now  fast  going  to  decay,  where  Gates  had 
his  headquarters,  was  not  passed  without  notice. 

myself  I  can  as  well  conceive  of  the  truth  of  a  mathe- 
matical absurdity  as  of  the  soul  of  Gen.  Hoyt  con- 
ceiving of  a  base  action. 

"  During  a  journey  which  I  took  with  Gen.  Hoyt 
some  years  ago,  after  visiting  Lake  George,  with  its 
Fort  William  Henry  and  its  1,000  graves,  Williams' 
Rock  and  Bloody  Pond,  Fort  Edward,  with  the  melan- 
choly resting-place  of  the  innocent  Jane  McCrea, and 
other  scenes  thick  set  with  the  memories  of  dark  and 
foul  deed  for  which  thou,  O,  spirit  of  injustice,  thou 
awful  genius  of  unholy  war,  thou  art  responsible  ; 
with  the  departure  of  the  morning  hours  we  were 
leaving  behind  us  the  immediate  vicinities  of  those 
bloody  deeds,  and  the  soul  seemed  to  breathe  in 
again  the  sweet  influences  of  unpolluted  nature. 
Around  us  universal  tranquility  reigned  ;  when  sud- 
denly we  came  within  sight  of  an  humble  tenement 
in  the  town  of  Saratoga.  '  There,'  said  the  general, 
'  is  a  dwelling  memorable  for  events  of  darker  days. 
In  the  times  of  the  Revolution  it  was  a  house  of  one 
story  only;  a  second  within  a  few  years  has  been 
added,  but  the  lower  part  remains  unaltered,  and  the 
arrangements  of  the  rooms,  the  floors,  etc.,  remain 
the  same  as  in  days  of  yore.' " 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  185 

This  my  companion  well  recollected,  and  he  pointed 
to  the  spot  where  he  had  been  planted  as  a  sentinel. 
A  small  distance  east  of  the  house,  at  the  time  of 
the  battles,  stood  a  barn  in  which  many  of  the 
wounded  were  deposited  ;  but  the  foundation  only 
remains  to  mark  the  spot.  The  fields  adjacent,  once 
the  scene  of  bustle  and  military  preparation,  now 
present  a  calm  and  solitary  aspect ;  and  here  the 
bones  of  many  a  patriot  who  died  of  wounds  received 
in  the  two  actions  of  the  igth  of  September  and  yth 
of  October,  rest  in  obscurity.  My  companion  pointed 
out  the  spot  where  twenty-eight  of  these  heroes  were 
interred  in  one  grave  ;  and  near  this  spot  the  veteran 
Col.  Breyman  and  Sir  Francis  Clark,  Burgoyne's 
aid-de-camp,  mortally  wounded  and  taken  prisoners 
in  the  second  action,  mixed  their  remains  with  their 
brave  conquerors. 

After  noticing  the  ground  occupied  by  the  differ- 
ent regiments  and  brigades,  and  listening  to  the  many 
anecdotes  of  my  companion,  we  continued  our  route 
across  Nelson's  farm  on  an  eminence,  in  advance  of 
Gates'  camp,  the  frequent  post  of  Morgan's  riflemen, 
and  passing  a  ravine  and  an  open  field  beyond,  we 
reached  a  wood  where  his  regiment  was  drawn  up, 
on  the  right  of  Gates7  line,  where  they  hove  up  a 
slight  work  of  logs  in  the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October. 
From  this  point,  crossing  other  fields  westerly,  and  a 
bridge  over  a  rill,  we  rose  to  higher  ground,  Bur- 
goyne's point  of  appui  in  the  same  battle,  and  a  little 
further  north  formed  en  potence,  and  crowning  a  height 
24 


1 86  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

stood  Major  Acland's  British  grenadiers,  the  most 
sanguinary  point  of  the  contest. 

The  British  line  extended  from  this  point  westerly 
about  a  third  of  a  mile,  crossing  two  open  fields  and 
an  intervening  copse  of  wood,  to  some  high  grounds 
within  view ;  the  right  occupied  by  Brigadier-General 
Fraser's  elite,  consisting  of  the  Twenty-Fourth  Regi- 
ment and  Lord  Balcarras'  light  infantry ;  the  centre 
and  left  of  the  British  and  German  troops  of  the  line, 
under  Generals  Phillips  and  Riedesel.  Eight  pieces 
of  cannon,  two  of  which  were  twelve  pounders,  were 
posted  along  the  line,  besides  two  howitzers  in  front 
of  Fraser's  elite.  On  the  south,  in  front  of  the  line, 
the  ground  falls  off  to  a  rill,  then  covered  with  brush, 
from  which  the  American  columns  debouched,  as 
they  advanced  to  the  attack,  under  a  heavy  fire  from 
the  British  artillery. 

The  battle  at  this  place  commenced  on  the  British 
left,  by  General  Poor's  brigade,  and  soon  after  on 
the  right  by  Colonel  Morgan's  and  Major  Dearborn's 
corps,  and  the  whole  line  was  soon  engaged.*  Mor- 

*  The  effective  usefulness  of  the  famous  body  of  ex- 
perienced riflemen  under  Morgan,  in  checking  the 
aggressive  and  savage  bands  of  Indians  which  Gen. 
Burgoyne  had  connected  with  his  army,  was  soon 
apparent  to  Gen.  Gates  to  whom  Washington  had 
sent  it  in  August.  The  corps,  as  soon  as  it  reached 
the  northern  army,  not  only  worsted  the  Indians  in 
the  various  encounters  in  which  they  became  con- 
fronted, but  it  also  created  such  a  panic  among  the 
redmen  that  they  at  once  lost  all  interest  in  fighting 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  187 

gan  and  Dearborn  having  turned  and  broken  the 
right  flank  of  Balcarras"  infantry,  and  Acland's 
grenadiers  on  the  left,  being  hard  pressed  by  Poor, 

and  scouting  for  Burgoyne,  and  hastily  departed  to 
their  homes.  Gates  then  employed  the  corps  as 
sharp-shooters  and  skirmishers,  in  which  line  of  duty 
it  did  splended  service.  After  Washington's  army 
had  been  compelled,  after  the  battle  of  Brandywine, 
to  retire  before  the  larger  force  of  Sir  William  Howe, 
the  commanding  general's  situation  was  such  as  to 
induce  him  to  ask  for  it's  return  to  him.  His  letter 
to  Major-General  Gates,  embodying  the  request,  is 
as  follows : 

"  CAMP  NEAR  POTTSGROVE,  Sept.  24,  1777. 

"  SIR  —  This  army  has  not  been  able  to  oppose 
General  Howe  with  the  success  that  was  wished,  and 
needs  a  reinforcement.  I  therefore  request,  if  you 
have  been  so  fortunate  as  to  oblige  General  Bur- 
goyne to  retreat  to  Ticonderoga,  and  if  you  have  not, 
and  circumstances  will  admit,  that  you  will  order 
Colonel  Morgan  to  join  me  again  with  his  corps.  I 
sent  him  up  when  I  thought  you  materially  wanted 
him,  and  if  his  services  can  be  dispensed  with  now, 
you  will  direct  him  to  return  immediately.  You  will 
perceive  I  do  not  mention  this  in  way  of  command,  but 
leave  you  to  determine  upon  it  according  to  your 
situation  ;  if  they  come  they  should  proceed  by  way 
of  water  from  Albany  as  low  down  as  Peekskill ;  in 
such  case  you  will  give  Colonel  Morgan  the  neces- 
sary orders  to  join  me  with  dispatch. 

'•  I  am  Sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 
"  Go.  WASHINGTON. 

"  MAJOR-GENERAL  GATES." 


General  Hoyt's  Visit. 

Burgoyne  despatched  orders  for  Eraser's  elite  to  re- 
tire from  the  right,  and  form  a  second  line  to  support 
the  left.  In  executing  this  order,  Fraser  having 
arrived  in  the  rear  of  the  left,  followed  by  Morgan, 
received  a  mortal  wound  and  was  carried  off  the 
field. 

Mr.  Walker,  who  resides  a  little  distance  in  the 
rear  of  the  ground  occupied  by  the  British  line, 
pointed  out  to  us  the  site  of  two  huts  which  stood 
near  the  centre  of  the  left,  and  here  my  companion 
recollected  to  have  seen  the  ground  covered  with 
dead  the  morning  after  the  action.  Near  this  spot 
Major  Williams,  of  the  artillery,  and  Captain  Money, 
D.  Q.  M.  General,  and  several  other  officers,  were 
captured  by  Americans,  and  eight  pieces  of  cannon 
were  taken. 

The  ground  occupied  by  the  left  of  the  British  line 
may  be  known  by  a  solitary  poplar  tree  standing  on 
the  side  of  the  road  marked  with  the  initials  of  some 
person's  name,  near  which  the  ground  falls  off  to  the 
east. 

After  viewing  this  sanguinary  spot,  and  analyzing 
the  movements  of  the  different  corps,  we  passed 
along  the  road  northerly  to  the  point  where  General 
Fraser  received  his  wound.  Walker's  blacksmith 
shop  is  about  twenty  rods  north  of  the  place,  and  not 
far  from  the  same,  Sir  Francis  Clark,  Burgoyne's 
aid-de-camp,  also  received  his  wound  as  he  was  con- 
veying orders  from  Burgoyne  to  Phillips  and 
Riedesel. 


General  Hoyt's  Visit.  189 

Proceeding  northerly,  forty  or  fifty  rods,  we  ar- 
rived at  the  house  of  the  younger  Walker,  situated 
on  an  eminence,  which,  with  several  others,  extending 
northerly,  were  occupied  by  Eraser's  elite  during 
most  of  the  battle  of  the  igth  of  September. 

Here  General  Larnerd's  brigade  and  Marshall's 
regiment  were  engaged  toward  the  close  of  the  bat- 
tle of  that  day,  and  near  Walker's  barn,  situated  a 
little  east  of  the  house,  stood  the  British  grenadiers  op- 
posed to  Marshall's  regiment,  as  darkness  commenced. 
Near  the  barn  Walker  had  just  discovered  and  dis- 
interred the  skeleton  of  a  man  killed  in  the  action  by 
a  ball  which  perforated  the  back  of  the  skull,  and  a 
circular  piece,  cut  out  by  the  ball,  was  found,  exactly 
fitting  the  perforation.  The  bones  indicated  a  man 
of  a  large  size,  from  which,  and  knowing  the  ground 
to  have  been  the  position  of  the  British  grenadiers 
in  the  first  action,  we  concluded  he  must  have  been 
one  of  that  corps.  Further  to  the  right,  and  west- 
ward of  Walker's  house,  we  noticed  the  spot  where 
the  late  Governor  Brooks,  of  Massachusetts,  then 
lieutenant-colonel  of  Jackson's  regiment,  sustained 
his  nocturnal  attack  from  Breyman's  German  grena- 
diers. (See  Gordon,  vol.  2.  letter  8th.) 

Continuing  our  route  northerly  along  Eraser's 
heights,  we  turned  to  the  right,  across  lower  ground, 
and  rose  a  gentle  hill  covered  with  trees  of  recent 
growth,  the  fortified  position  of  Colonel  Breyton  in 
the  action  of  the  ;th  of  October.  This  fortification 
was  a  temporary  work  of  logs  and  rails,  and  has  dis- 


i  go  General  Hoyts  Visit. 

appeared.  Every  inch  of  this  ground  presents  inter- 
esting associations,  and  with  eager  steps  we  traversed 
the  hill  to  find  some  relic  or  trace  of  the  gallantry 
of  the  men  who  fought  on  this  spot,  but  all  marks 
are  obliterated.  With  deep  sensations  we  now  sur- 
veyed the  open  field,  over  which  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Brooks  led  on  Jackson's  regiment,  under  a  heavy 
fire,  in  his  gallant  charge  on  these  works  in  the  battle 
of  the  7th  of  October,  and  penetrated  them  a  few 
moments  before  General  Arnold  galloped  in  through 
a  sally  port  and  received  his  wound.  Other  regi- 
ments then  advancing,  the  post  was  carried  at  every 
point,  and  about  two  hundred  of  the  enemy  made 
prisoners,  while  the  remainder  made  their  escape  into 
the  woods  in  the  rear,  leaving  two  pieces  of  cannon 
in  the  hands  of  the  Americans. 

Passing  over  the  hill  we  descended  to  a  beautiful 
opening  on  the  east  side,  the  camp  of  Breyman's 
German  brigade,  back  of  which  is  a  ravine  and  rill 
where  Breyman  was  found  by  the  victors  mortally 
wounded,  taken  up  and  sent  to  Gates'  camp,  where 
he  died.  This  post  formed  the  right  flank  of  the 
British  fortified  camp,  and  its  capture  exposed  other 
points  to  an  attack  in  the  rear.  Sensible  of  its  im- 
portance, Burgoyne,  on  first  hearing  that  it  was  car- 
ried, gave  orders  for  its  recovery,  but  though  they 
were  positive,  they  were  not  obeyed,  and  Larnerd's 
brigade  held  the  post  unmolested  through  the  night. 

General  Wilkinson  states,  in  his  memoirs,  that 
Arnold,  during  the  attack  on  Breyman's  post,  turned 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  191 

its  right,  at  the  head  of  a  few  riflemen,  and  threw 
himself  into  the  rear,  where  his  leg  was  broken  and 
his  horse  killed  under  him.  The  general  was  not  an 
eye  witness  to  the  event,  and,  probably,  through  mis- 
information has  given  it  erroneously.  That  Arnold 
was  wounded  within  the  works,  after  passing  the  sally 
port,  has  been  repeatedly  asserted  by  Governor 
Brooks,  as  well  as  others  who  saw  the  whole. 

Quitting  this  interesting  spot  we  passed  on  south- 
erly over  the  ground  where  stood  the  two  block 
houses  so  gallantly  stormed  by  detachments  from 
Brooks'  regiment,  in  the  same  action,  and  the  com- 
manders, Lieutenants  Wiley  and  Goodrich,  and  many 
of  their  men,  killed  ;  and  turning  easterly  through  a 
copse  of  wood,  reached  a  road  in  the  rear  of  Free- 
man's field.  Along  this  road,  still  flanked  by  woods, 
Burgoyne  formed  the  Qth,  2ist,  626.  and  2Oth  regi- 
ments (this  was  the  order  from  right  to  left),  and 
Captain  Jones'  brigade  of  grenadiers,  previous  to  the 
sanguinary  contest  on  the  igth  of  September,  while 
Major  Forbes,  with  the  British  van,  pressed  into  the 
field,  was  attacked  by  Morgan  near  Freeman's  hut, 
and  driven  back  to  the  British  line  in  the  woods,  and 
Morgan,  in  turn,  broken  and  forced  back  in  the 
woods  south  of  the  field. 

Continuing  southerly  in  the  road,  and  crossing  a 
small  ravine,  we  entered  Freeman's  bloody  field,  and  a 
few  rods  south,  the  house  of  Mr.  Leggett,  who  now 
resides  on  the  farm  embracing  the  field  of  battle.  At 
the  time  of  the  battle  the  field  was  an  oblong  of  from 


1 92  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

seventy  to  eighty  rods  in  length,  east  and  west,  by 
about  thirty  in  breadth,  inclosed  by  a  worm  fence, 
and  surrounded  by  woods.  Near  the  centre  is  an 
elevation  extending  from  Leggett's  house  nearly  at 
right  angles  across  the  field,  upon  which  a  hut  and 
small  barn  were  situated,  and  near  the  latter  the  ele- 
vation terminated  at  a  narrow  ravine  extending 
parallel  to  the  field.  South  of  this  ravine  are  other 
elevations  sloping  off  gently  to  level  ground  south, 
the  whole  then  covered  with  woods  in  which  the 
Americans  were  drawn  up  in  the  first  part  of  the 
battle  of  the  iQth  of  September. 

No  part  of  the  ground  we  had  traversed  presents 
more  interesting  associations  than  this  field.  Here 
British  valor  and  veteran  skill  were  successfully  op- 
posed by  native  bravery  and  patriotic  ardor,  and  here  it 
was  that  the  proud  Briton  was  compelled  to  acknowl- 
edge the  fallacy  of  his  boasted  declaration,  "that  the 
Americans  would  fight  only  under  cover  of  woods 
and  intrenchments,  and  that  they  were  incapable  of 
sustaining  a  fair  and  equal  conflict  in  the  open 
field." 

While  at  Leggett's  we  were  presented  with  balls 
and  several  fractured  implements  of  muskets  found 
on  the  field,  among  which  was  part  of  a  brass  guard 
numbered  XX,  supposed  to  belong  to  that  regiment. 

We  were  now  upon  the  ground  occupied  by  the 
62d  British  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Ans- 
truther  during  most  of  the  battle  of  the  igth,  flanked 
on  the  right  by  the  2ist,  and  on  the  left  by  the  2oth 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  193 

regiments,  the  whole  under  Brigadier-General  Hamil- 
ton, the  gth  of  the  same  brigade  being  drawn  off  and 
posted  in  the  rear  of  the  field  as  a  corps  de  reserve, 
and  here  this  brigade,  with  the  artillery  under  Cap- 
tain Jones,  bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle  for  about 
four  hours,  hand-to-hand,  with  the  Americans,  and 
human  life  was  profusely  expended. 

A  few  rods  southerly  of  Leggett's  barn  we  noticed 
the  ground  where  Morgan  and  Dearborn  attacked 
the  British  when  under  Major  Forbes;  and  here  the 
regiments  of  Cilley*  and  Scammel,  of  Poor's  brigade, 

*  Col.  Cilley,  who  served  throughout  the  war  with 
reputation,  was  a  man  of  temperance,  economy,  great 
industry,  decision  of  character  and  sound  judgment. 
The  following  anecdote,  among  many  others  (see 
"  Life  of  Caleb  Stark  "),  is  related  of  him  :  During 
the  armistice  prior  to  the  peace  of  1783,  several 
American  officers  visited  New  York.  Rivington, 
the  king's  printer,  kept  a  book  store  which  was  a 
lounging  place  for  British  officers.  At  this  time  an 
American  officer  entered  the  store,  purchased  several 
books  which  he  directed  to  be  sent  to  his  lodgings, 
and,  calling  for  a  pen,  wrote  his  name  and  address. 
"  What,"  said  a  British  colonel,  half  reclining  on  a 
sofa,  "an  American  write  his  name!"  "If  I  can- 
not," was  the  prompt  answer  of  Col.  Cilley,  "  I  can 
make  my  mark,"  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word, 
drew  his  sword  and  applied  the  flat  of  it  to  the 
British  officer's  face.  The  latter  departed  saying 
that  he  "  would  hear  from  him."  The  intrepid 
Colonel,  however,  heard  no  more  from  him.  This 
anecdote  is  but  one,  of  many,  showing  the  contempti- 

25 


194  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

a  battalion  under  Major  Hull,  Morgan's  and  Dear- 
born's corps,  renewed  the  battle  on  Hamilton's 
brigade,  which  was  vigorously  maintained  on  both 
sides,  each  alternatively  giving  and  gaining  the 
ground  ;  and  here,  about  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, the  remainder  of  Poor's  brigade,  with  some 
other  regiments,  came  up  on  the  left  and  pressed  into 
action,  and  the  fire  was  continued  with  alternate  ad- 
vantage on  both  sides  until  smoke  and  nightfall  ren- 
dered objects  undiscernible,  when  the  action  termi- 
nated precisely  on  the  ground  where  it  commenced. 
Among  the  officers  who  fell  at  this  place,  on  the 
part  of  the  Americans,  were  Lieutenant-Colonel  Col- 
burn,  of  Cilley's,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Adams,  of 
Male's  New  Hampshire  regiments.  The  62d  British 
regiment  was  literally  cut  to  pieces ;  after  the  action 
it  did  not  exceed  sixty  men  and  five  or  six  officers 
fit  for  duty.  Colonel  Anstruther,  and  his  major, 
Harmage,  were  wounded.  During  the  contest  the 
field  presented  a  scene  of  horror  appalling  even  to 
veteran  troops;  the  British  officers  were  constantly 
falling  under  the  fatal  fire,  or  carried  off  the  field 

ble  feeling  of  the  English,  not  only  at  that  time,  but 
at  the  present  (1894)  ;  and  yet  our  "  British  cousins" 
think  it  strange  that  the  people  of  the  United  States 
have  more  sympathy  with  autocratic  Russia  than  with 
their  hypocritical  monarchy  !  and  with  Gladstone  at 
their  head — a  man  who,  had  he  had  his  way,  would 
have,  during  our  late  Civil  war,  been  glad  to  have 
seen  our  republic  dismembered  ! 


General  Hoyt's  Visit.  195 

wounded;  the  ranks  thinned  and  the  artillery  men 
nearly  annihilated.  Out  of  forty-eight  men  stationed 
at  the  guns  under  Captain  Jones,  who  fell,  thirty-six 
were  killed  or  badly  wounded,  and  among  the  offi- 
cers only  one  lieutenant  escaped,  and  he  with  a  shot 
through  his  hat. 

Passing  the  small  ravine  south  of  Leggett's  barn 
we  rose  an  elevation,  the  post  with  another  on  a  knoll 
a  little  further  west,  strongly  fortified,  and  the  woods 
cleared  off  by  Burgoyne  after  the  battle  of  the  igth. 
These  elevations  were  occupied  by  Lord  Balcarras' 
light  infantry  after  their  retreat  from  the  first  posi- 
tion, south  of  the  elder  Walker's,  in  the  battle  of  the 
7th  of  October,  and  here,  towards  the  close  of  the 
day,  Arnold,  with  Poor's  and  Patterson's  brigades, 
made  his  desperate  attack,  and  was  repulsed,  and  he, 
with  his  horse,  entangled  in  the  surrounding  abattis, 
from  which,  with  the  utmost  difficulty,  he  extracted 
himself  while  under  a  heavy  fire  of  grape  and  can- 
nister  from  the  British  batteries.  "  A  more  deter- 
mined perseverance,"  says  the  British  commander, 
"  than  the  Americans  showed  in  this  attack  upon  the 
lines,  though  they  were  finally  repulsed  by  the  corps 
under  Lord  Balcarras,  I  believe  is  not  in  any  officer's 
experience."  Had  the  assailants  been  less  embarassed 
with  the  abattis,  probably  they  would  have  covered 
the  works,  though  manned  with  Burgoyne's  best 
troops. 

From  this  elevation  we  had  a  fair  view  of  the 
greatest  part  of  the  battle  grounds  and  the  line  of 


196  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

Burgoyne's  camp,  taken  up  subsequently  to  the  battle 
of  the  igth,  and  in  which  the  principal  part  of  the 
army  continued  until  that  of  the  7th  of  October. 
North  and  east  of  Leggett's  house  was  the  camp  of 
Eraser's  elite,  flanked  on  the  left  by  Hamilton's  bri- 
gade, and  further  on  the  left,  extending  to  the  river 
hills,  that  of  the  German  troops  under  Riedesel,  ex- 
cepting Breyman's  command,  which  was  to  the  right 
of  Eraser,  formed  en  potence  to  the  main  line  ;  the 
whole  covered  by  temporary  works  which  are  now 
nearly  obliterated.  In  the  meadow  in  the  rear  of  the 
left  of  Riedesel's  German  corps  was  the  British  hos- 
pital camp,  protected  by  several  batteries,  and  three 
redoubts,  on  the  projecting  points  of  as  many  hills, 
overlooking  the  meadow. 

The  grounds  adjacent,  at  the  time  of  the  battles, 
were  covered  with  woods,  but  now  present,  in  some 
parts,  fields  under  cultivation.  North  of  Freeman's 
field  the  woods  are  still  standing,  exhibiting  the 
exact  features  of  1777,  and  the  road  through  them, 
where  Burgoyne  first  formed  the  four  regiments  of 
Hamilton's  brigade,  is  still  distinctly  seen. 

In  passing  over  these  sanguinary  fields  my  com- 
panion appeared  to  be  highly  excited  by  the  many 
recollections  which  rushed  upon  his  mind,  and  the 
circumstance  of  our  visit  happening  on  the  48th  anni- 
versary of  the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October  presented 
the  various  scenes  in  a  most  striking  point  of  view. 
Nor  did  my  my  own  feelings  remain  "  indifferent  and 
unmoved." 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  197 

To  walk  with  callous  indifference  over  ground  once 
the  scene  of  blood  and  carnage,  of  occasional  fear 
and  triumph,  and  these  heightened  by  the  recollec- 
tion that  many  of  our  acquaintance  shared  in  them, 
may  comport  with  minds  steeled  to  sensibility ;  but 
those  of  a  different  stamp,  in  which  are  included  a 
majority  of  the  reflecting  part  of  mankind,  will  be 
differently  affected.  Nor  are  lessons  drawn  from 
such  scenes  destitute  of  utility.  They  fix  the  mind 
on  the  characters  of  the  heroes  who  perished  in  the 
cause  of  our  country,  stimulate  to  noble  exploits,  and 
fill  the  mind  with  just  reflections  on  the  value  of  our 
dear  bought  liberties.  With  a  portion  of  these  feel- 
ings we  returned  to  Ketchum's  tavern,  passing  again 
over  part  of  Gates'  camp. 

On  our  route  to  our  quarters  we  fell  in  with  a 
Quaker  gentleman  who  resides  in  the  vicinity,  with 
whom  we  had  some  conversation  on  the  scenes  that 
had  been  exhibited  in  these  fields,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing his  aversion  to  military  exploits,  he  appeared  to 
be  interested  on  hearing  that  my  companion  was  one 
of  the  men  who  had  fought  for  his  country.  And 
in  traversing  over  the  battle  grounds,  we  were  wel- 
comed to  the  hospitable  mansions  of  several  of  these 
people,  who  evinced  an  interest  in  our  researches, 
and  gave  us  their  aid  in  pointing  out  the  most  re- 
markable places  on  the  battle  fields.  An  elderly 
lady  remarked,  that  she  resided  on  a  farm  in  the 
vicinity  of  Saratoga  lake  at  the  time  of  the  battle,  and 
heard  the  terrible  roar  of  the  dreadful  cannon,  and  that 


198  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

British  reconnoitering  parties  frequently  visited  her 
house,  from  whom  she  received  very  civil  treatment, 
and  gave  them,  in  return,  such  refreshments  as  her 
mansion  furnished. 

Before  we  left  Ketchum's  we  reconnoitered  the 
banks  of  the  Hudson,  and  my  companion  pointed  out 
the  spot  where  Gates  threw  over  a  bridge  to  connect 
with  the  left  bank,  and  the  ground  where  he  recol- 
lected to  have  seen  a  tribe  of  American  Indians  en- 
camped. 

The  freight  boats  constantly  passing  along  the 
canal,  within  a  few  yards  of  our  traverse,  afforded 
us  a  passage  about  two  and  one-half  miles,  up  to 
Smith's  tavern,  the  cottage  in  which  the  unfortunate 
General  Fraser  died  of  his  wounds  the  morning  after 
the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October,  where  we  arrived  at 
dark  after  making  half  a  dozen  very  submissive  bows 
to  the  bridges  stretching  across  the  canal,  an  embar- 
rassment we  had  not  anticipated,  and  which  requires 
some  caution  to  avoid  a  broken  head.  On  this  route 
we  passed  the  left  flank  of  the  British  camp,  on  the 
west  of  the  eminence,  and  the  ravine  from  which  the 
British  sharp-shooters  wounded  General  Lincoln  the 
day  succeeding  the  last  battle  on  the  heights. 

Smith's  house,  which  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  hill 
at  the  period  of  the  battles,  and  has  been  drawn  for- 
ward to  the  road  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  is  situated 
in  a  handsome  meadow  bordering  on  the  Hudson, 
the  same  embraced  by  Burgoyne's  hospital  camp,  and 
taken  up  by  his  whole  army  in  the  night  succeeding 


General  Hoyts  Visit.  199 

the  second  battle.  In  the  morning  we  traversed 
over  ground,  noticing  the  places  most  remarkable  for 
interesting  events,  and,  among  others,  the  elevated 
hill  on  which  General  Eraser  was  buried  under  the 
fire  of  American  artillery  posted  in  a  meadow  below, 
so  eloquently  described  by  Burgoyne  in  his  account  of 
his  expedition.  A  few  yards  below  the  great  ravine, 
so  called  by  the  British  officers,  we  noticed  the  point 
where  Burgoyne's  bridge  of  boats  was  thrown  across 
the  Hudson,  at  the  head  of  which,  on  the  left  bank, 
are  the  remains  of  his  tete  de  pont.  The  bed  of  the 
great  ravine,  through  which  a  road  formerly  led  from 
the  hospital  camp  to  that  on  the  height,  is  now 
flowed  by  the  water  of  the  canal.  South  of  the  ra- 
vine are  the  heights  on  which  Balcarras'  light  infantry 
was  posted  during  the  8th  of  October,  and  here  seve- 
ral skirmishes  took  place  between  the  British  and 
American  sharp-shooters,  in  one  of  which  General 
Lincoln  was  wounded,  as  has  been  noted.  Of  the 
three  redoubts  on  the  hills  adjoining  the  meadow, 
little  or  no  remains  are  to  be  seen,  excepting  that  in 
the  center,  where  Fraser  was  buried,  which  is  still 
distinct.  The  remains  of  another  work  may  be 
traced  in  the  meadow  a  short  distance  south  of 
Smith's,  near  which  was  posted  the  park  of  artillery. 
In  the  bar  room  of  Smith's  tavern  General  Fraser 
breathed  his  last,  and  there,  says  Madame  Riedesel, 
who  quartered  at  the  same  place,  "  I  often  heard  him 
exclaim  with  a  sigh,  '  Oh,  fatal  ambition  !  Poor  Gene- 
ral Burgoyne  !  Oh,  my  poor  wife  ! ' 


2OO  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

Several  late  tourists,  through  a  very  natural  mis- 
take, have  called  Smith's  house,  S^vordys  house  ;  the 
latter,  it  appears  by  Burgoyne's  plans,  was  situated 
about  a  mile  above  at  his  camp,  taken  up  on  the  i  7th 
of  September  ;  the  house  is  now  demolished.* 

In  the  early  part  of  the  day  we  left  the  hospital 
camp,  and  in  a  stage  proceeded  up  the  river  six 
miles  to  Schuylerville,  at  Fish  Creek,  in  Saratoga, 
the  scene  of  Burgoyne's  last  struggles,  passing  on 

*  The  site  of  "  Sword's  house  "  is  on  the  south  side 
of  a  spring  brook  about  fifty  yards  west  of  the  Hud- 
son river,  a  few  rods  north  of  the  south  line  of  the 
town  of  Old  Saratoga,  and  is,  as  Gen.  Hoyt  says, 
about  a  mile  north  of  where  the  "  Smith  house " 
formerly  stood.  It  may  be  readily  found  from  its 
being  about  thirty  rods  north  of  a  highway  leading 
from  the  Hudson  river  road  westerly,  which  highway 
is  the  first  one  north  of  Wilbur's  basin.  This  high- 
way was  nearly  the  same  at  the  time  of  Burgoyne's 
visit,  in  1777,  as  now.  All  traces  of  the  house  are 
now  (1894)  obliterated  save  a  few  bricks  and  a  slight 
depression  in  the  soil  where  was  the  cellar.  A  son 
of  the  owner  of  this  house,  Thos.  Sword,  who  was 
born  at  Fort  George,  on  Lake  George,  Jan.  5,  1 764, 
was  for  fifty  years  a  publisher  and  bookseller  in  the 
city  of  New  York,  and  for  twenty  years  vestryman 
in  Trinity  church  in  that  city.  He  died  in  New 
York,  June  27,  1843.  A  white  marble  tablet  in 
Trinity  church,  New  York,  in  the  alcove  of  Astor 
memorial,  south  side,  marks  his  last  resting  place. 
The  tablet  was  erected  to  his  memory  by  Trinity 
church  corporation. 


General  Hoyfs  Visit,  201 

the  route  the  British  camp  at  Sword's  house,  and  the 
elevated  ground  on  which  the  British  army  halted 
on  its  retreat  on  the  morning  of  the  gth  of  October, 
at  what  was  then  called  Dovecote,  or  Van  Vechtiris 
Creek.  This  spot  is  rendered  memorable  from  the 
interesting  relation  Burgoyne  has  given  of  Lady  Har- 
riet Acland,  who  here  embarked  in  a  boat,  and  de- 
scended to  Gates'  camp,  attended  by  Mr.  Brudenel, 
chaplain  of  the  artillery.  A  short  distance  south  of 
the  site  of  the  old  church  at  Schuylerville  we  noticed 
the  place  where  the  right  of  Gates'  camp  rested  on 
the  roth  of  October. 

The  retreat  of  the  British  army  from  the  hospital 
camp  to  Fish  Greek  was  attended  with  many  embar- 
rassments. It  commenced  about  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  and,  as  it  was  apprehended  that  the  Ameri- 
cans would  pass  upon  the  rear,  a  strong  body  of  the 
best  troops  under  General  Phillips  was  ordered  to 
cover  the  march  ;  General  Riedesel  commanded  the 
van.  From  the  nature  of  the  country,  and  the  dark- 
ness of  the  night,  the  movement  was  difficult  as  well 
as  critical ;  the  artillery  and  such  baggage  as  could 
not  be  embarked  in  boats  were  to  be  dragged  along 
a  narrow  road  composed  of  argillaceous  soil,  over 
which  the  stoutest  horses  could,  with  difficulty,  draw 
an  ordinary  load,  and  with  the  emaciated  and  jaded 
animals  of  the  army  an  empty  carriage  was  a  burden 
almost  beyond  their  power.  Besides,  the  army  was 
liable  to  an  attack  at  every  step,  from  the  woods  on 
the  left  ;  nor  were  the  boats  less  exposed  in  stem- 
26 


2O2  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

ming  the  river  from  the  attacks  of  the  militia  posted 
along  the  left  bank,  who  were  secure  during  the 
darkness  from  annoyance  from  the  artillery.  To 
add  to  these  difficulties  a  heavy  rain  commenced 
which  converted  the  road  into  perfect  quagmire,  and 
rendered  the  march  of  the  baggage  next  to  impossible, 
and  their  total  loss  was  apprehended.  General  Phil- 
lips was  ordered  to  bend  his  whole  attention  to  the 
covering  of  the  army  by  taking  a  position  that  would 
enable  it  to  form  in  order  of  battle  without  regard- 
ing the  column  of  baggage,  and  to  rely  exclusively 
on  the  bayonet.  Under  such  embarrassments  the 
loss  of  several  provision  boats  and  baggage  wagons 
is  not  surprising. 

After  a  short  respite  at  the  stage-house  in  Schuy- 
lerville  we  prepared  for  a  reconnoisance  of  Bur- 
goyne's  camp,  which  extended  along  the  heights  from 
Lemson's,  now  Bushett's  house,  the  same  occupied 
by  Madame  Riedesel  (see  her  narrative),  nearly 
opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Battenkill,  to  an  eminence 
about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  south-west  of  our 
tavern,  and  here  was  Burgoyne's  headquarters,  the 
strongest  point  of  his  position.  On  an  elevation  in 
the  meadow  north-east  of  the  village  the  park  of 
artillery  was  posted  under  the  cover  of  some  tem- 
porary works.  Excepting  two  or  three  open  fields, 
the  position  of  the  army  was  principally  covered  with 
woods,  but  the  meadow  was  open,  cultivated  ground. 
At  the  mouth  of  Fish  creek,  on  the  north  side,  are 
the  ruins  of  Fort  Hardy,  built  in  the  French  war,  by 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  203 

many  erroneously  supposed  to  be  the  work  of  Bur- 
goyne,  and  through  the  meadow  now  passes  the 
northern  canal,  presenting  an  extensive  triangular 
basin  on  the  north  of  Fish  creek,  and  over  this  is  an 
aqueduct.  South  of  the  creek  is  Schuyler's  house, 
standing  nearly  on  the  site  of  General  Schuyler's, 
burnt  by  Burgoyne.  The  old  church  which  stood 
on  the  height  south-west  of  this  house,  in  1777,  is 
demolished,  and  a  handsome  new  one  is  now  pleas- 
antly situated  in  a  recess  of  a  grove  on  the  height 
west  of  the  village. 

Arriving  at  the  works  on  the  elevation,  at  the  ex- 
treme right  of  Burgoyne's  camp,  the  lines,  encom- 
passing several  acres,  were  easily  traced,  presenting 
saliant  and  rentrant  angles,  and  here  were  posted 
the  Qth,  2ist,  and  24th  regiments,  the  British  grena- 
diers, Balcarras'  light  infantry,  Captain  Eraser's 
rangers,  and  the  American  volunteers.  The  left  of 
the  camp,  on  a  ridge,  north  of  the  village,  nearly 
parallel  to  the  river,  was  occupied  by  Riedesel's 
Germans  ;  and  the  central  ground,  by  the  2oth,  47th, 
and  62d  British  regiments,  the  German  grenadiers, 
and  Barnes'  corps,  partially  covered  by  entrench- 
ments. Farther  west,  in  the  margin  of  the  woods, 
were  the  Yagers  and  Canadians.  Their  out-posts 
extended  along  the  north  side  of  Fish  Creek,  from 
its  mouth  to  the  right  of  the  camp.  The  position  here 
described  is  that  held  at  the  time  of  the  convention, 
The  right  of  Gates'  camp  was  about  a  mile  south  of 
Fish  Creek,  and  the  line  extended  into  the  woods 


General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

over  elevated  ground,  opposite  to  Burgoyne's  right, 
and  the  advanced  posts  were  near  the  creek  opposite 
those  of  the  British. 

In  passing  over  the  right  of  the  British  camp  my 
companion  found  himself  on  interesting  ground,  and 
with  hasty  steps  we  proceeded  to  the  spot  where  his 
regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel.  Woodbridge,  of 
Massachusetts,  was  drawn  up  in  the  woods,  within  a 
few  yards  of  the  British  entrenchment,  prepared  for 
an  assault  on  the  morning  of  the  nth  October,  1777. 
To  comprehend  this  movement  it  is  necessary  to  re- 
cur to  details.  On  the  night  of  the  loth  Gates  was 
led  to  believe  that  Burgoyne,  leaving  his  fires  burn- 
ing under  the  care  of  a  few  pickets,  had  left  his  camp 
and  retreated  up  the  Hudson,  on  which  he  gave 
orders  for  a  forward  movement  to  seize  the  aban- 
doned camp.  At  daybreak  the  next  morning,  being 
very  foggy,  Patterson's  and  Larnerd's  brigades,  with 
Morgan's  corps  and  Woodbridge's  regiment,  were 
put  in  motion  towards  the  British  right;  and  Nixon's 
and  Glover's  brigades,  at  the  same  time,  moved  up 
the  meadow  and  the  former  crossed  Fish  creek,  and 
surprised  a  British  picket  in  old  Fort  Hardy.  The  fog 
at  this  time  dispersing  the  British  army  was  found  in 
their  position,  ready  for  an  attack,  and  the  park  of  artil- 
lery immediately  opened  fire  upon  the  American 
column,  threw  it  into  some  disorder,  and  compelled  it 
to  recross  the  creek ;  the  two  brigades  then  returned 
to  camp.  Finding  that  Gates  had  ordered  the  move- 
ment under  a  misapprehension  of  the  position  of 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  205 

the   British  army,  Adjutant-General  Wilkinson,  who 
had  attended  the  movement  of  Nixon  and  Glover,* 

*In  this  connection,  and  to  show  how  vivid  the 
early  Colonial  and  Revolutionary  days  are  brought 
before  the  mind,  making  them  seem  as  of  yesterday, 
the  following  clipping  from  the  New  York  Sun  of 
February  20,  1894,  is  of  supreme  interest: 

"  Biograpical  glimpses  of  two  of  the  Revolution- 
ary heroes  are  given  in  a  pension  bill  recently  re- 
ported to  the  House  by  Mr.  Beauchamp  Clark,  of 
Missouri.  The  beneficiary  of  the  bill  is  Mrs. 
Hannah  Lyons,  ninety-one  years  of  age.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  John  Russell,  a  private  in  Glover's 
famous  marine  regiment,  which  rendered  such  con- 
spicuous services  during  the  revolutionary  war,  nota- 
bly at  Princeton,  Saratoga,  and  in  Valley  Forge,  and 
in  transporting  the  army  of  Washington  across  the 
ice-bound  Delaware  on  the  night  before  the  battle  of 
Trenton.  This  battle  has  recently  been  commemo- 
rated by  the  erection  of  a  monument  at  Trenton, 
N.  J.,  and  the  statue  of  a  private  soldier  on  guard  at 
the  door  of  the  monument  is  that  of  her  father,  John 
Russell,  of  Marblehead.  Mrs.  Lyons  is  also  a  niece 
of  the  naval  Revolutionary  hero,  James  Mugford, 
whose  successful  capture  of  the  British  transport 
Hope,  laden  with  munitions  of  war  in  May,  1776, 
in  full  view  of  the  British  fleet  anchored  in  Nan- 
tucket  Roads,  supplied  Washington  and  his  army 
with  arms  and  ammunition  at  a  critical  time  in  the 
affairs  of  the  colonies.  Such  is  the  patriotic  record 
of  the  family  from  which  this  aged  lady  descended 
in  whose  behalf  this  bill  is  favorably  reported." 

To  the  same  purport:  Rev.  Marinus  Willett,  a  son 
of  Col.  Marinus  Willett,  the  hero  of  Fort  Stanwix 


206  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

immediately  put  spurs  to  his   horse,  pushed  up  the 
creek,    and   crossing   over  at    a    mill    about    three- 

and  an  Indian  fighter  of  the  Old  French  War,  1744- 
50 — is  yet,  1894,  living  on  Jersey  City  Heights,  N.  J, 
My  son,   Mr.  Arthur  D.  Stone,  who  called  on  him  in 
January  of  this  year,  1894,  found  him  still  remarka- 
bly hale  and  hearty,  and  in  full  enjoyment  of  his 
physical  and  mental  powers.     He  it  was  who,  as  a 
labor  of  filial  piety,  edited  and  published  his  father's 
Narrative.     Rev.  Mr.  Willett  has  long  been  favora- 
bly known  as  the  author  of   The  Life  of  Summer- 
Jield,  The  Life  of  the  Messiah,  and  other  works  of  a 
religious  nature.     Indeed,  to  see  and  converse,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord   1894.  with  the  son  of    an  Indian 
fighter  of  the  old  French  war  and  a  distinguished  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolution  is  not  only  a  very  great  privi- 
lege, but,  as  above  remarked,  makes  the  old  Colonial 
days  seem  as  of  yesterday.     In  this  connection  one 
cannot  but  recall   another  similar  instance  of  a  lady 
who  died  in  1893.     She  was  the  wife  of  the  late  Ran- 
som Cook,  of  Saratoga  Springs  (nee  Ayers),  whose 
father,  Robert  Ayers,  was  the  person  who  conveyed 
to  Jane  McCrea  the  message  of  her  lover,    David 
Jones,  requesting  her  to  submit  herself  to  an  Indian 
escort,  who  would  convey  her  into  Burgoyne's  camp, 
where  they  were  to  be  immediately  married.     Mrs. 
Mary  Cook  Millard,  wife  of   the  late   Ira  Millard, 
died  at  her  home  in  Beach  street,  Ballston,  N.  Y.,  on 
June  4,  1894.     Mrs.  Millard  was  born  in  Vermont  in 
1800,  and  was  in  her  ninety-fourth  year.     She  was  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Cook,   of    Sara- 
toga.    In  her  early  childhood  she  went  to  the  town 
of  Malta  and  later  came  to  this  village.     Her  entire 
life  had  been  spent  within  two  miles  of  this  place 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  207 

quarters  of  a  mile  above  Schuyler's,*  found  Mor- 
gan's, Patterson's,  and  Larnerd's  brigades,  with 
Woodbridge's  regiment  on  the  right,  advancing 
through  the  woods  and  approximating  the  British 
lines.  In  front,  for  about  twenty  yards,  the  trees 
had  been  felled  and  sharpened  to  a  strong  abattis, 
and  Woodbridge's  regiment  had  laid  down  their 
packs  and  approached  within  ten  yards  of  the  open- 
ing; the  British,  lying  close  under  the  intrenchment, 
ready  to  open  their  fire  as  soon  as  their  assailants 
were  uncovered  by  the  woods.  At  this  moment  Wil- 
kinson rode  up  and  directed  the  colonel  to  fall  back, 
on  which  the  regiment  came  about  and  retired  about 
thirty  yards  to  a  depression  in  the  ground,  where 
the  men  were  covered  from  the  direct  fire  of  the 
enemy.  With  a  temerity  truly  characteristic  of 
young  troops,  individuals  then  advanced,  and  posting 
themselves  behind  trees,  opened  a  scattering  fire 
upon  the  enemy,  who  were  now  indistinctly  seen 
through  the  fog,  and  received  theirs  in  return.  My 
companion  pointed  me  to  a  large  pine,  not  exceeding 
thirty  yards  from  the  British  works,  behind  which  he, 

In  iSiSshewas  united  in  marriage  to  Ira  Millard, 
who  died  in  1891.  She  is  survived  by  two  sons, 
Eleazar  Millard,  of  Malta,  and  Nelson  Millard,  of 
East  Orange,  N.  Y.,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Henry 
Loomis. 

*  The  present  dam  on  Fish  Creek  at  Victory  Mills, 
Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  marks  \h&  precise  spot  here 
referred  to. 


208  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

with  several  others,  covered  themselves  while  eagerly 
popping  at  the  enemy's  heads,  seen  over  the  parapet; 
while  here  he  barely  escaped  a  shot  aimed  at  an  uncov- 
ered part  of  his  body,  and  having  expended  several  car- 
tridges the  party  fell  back  to  the  regiment,  and  soon 
after  the  whole  retired  to  Fish  Creek,  opposite  to  the 
mills,  where  they  were  ordered  to  throw  up  defensive 
lines.  In  the  meantime,  Patterson's  and  Larnerd's 
brigades,  with  Morgan's  corps  on  the  left,  approached 
the  British  lines,  and  were  on  the  point  of  opening 
their  fire  when  Wilkinson  rode  up  and  informed 
Larnerd,  who  commanded  in  the  absence  of  Patter- 
son, of  the  result  of  the  movement  in  the  meadow, 
and  advised  an  immediate  retreat,  on  which  the  line 
came  about  and  retired  ;  but  before  they  were  masked 
by  the  woods  the  enemy  opened  a  fire  of  artillery  and 
musketry,  and  several  were  killed.  The  two  brigades 
continued  their  retreat  to  an  open  field,  where  they 
hove  up  lines  and  remained  until  Burgoyne  surren- 
dered ;  Morgan  at  the  same  time  took  a  position  in 
the  woods  in  the  rear  of  the  British  right. 

As  a  striking  illustration  of  the  indifference  with 
which  soldiers  regard  danger,  and  soon  become 
callous  to  the  tender  feelings  common  to  a  life  of 
domestic  tranquility,  I  cannot  omit  to  notice  a  fact 
given  by  my  companion.  The  men  composing  the 
regiment  had  been  in  service  but  a  few  months,  but 
in  general  they  had  been  habituated  to  hardships  and 
were  strangers  to  the  delicacies  of  affluent  life. 
When  the  regiment  had  retired  the  short  distance  of 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  209 

sixty  yards  from  the  British  intrenchments,  to  lower 
ground,  where  the  men  were  covered  from  the  fire  of 
the  enemy,  they  sat  down  at  their  ease  and  entered 
into  familiar  conversation  ;  in  one  instance  he  noticed 
a  soldier  leisurely  combing  the  head  of  his  messmate, 
while  the  bullets  of  the  enemy  were  whistling  over 
their  heads  and  cutting  the  limbs  of  the  trees. 

Passing  from  the  British  right  to  the  mill  on  Fish 
creek  my  companion  noticed  the  spot  where  one  of 
their  advanced  sentinels  shot  a  woman  who  had  left 
the  British  camp  to  procure  water  from  a  brook 
winding  through  a  little  ravine,  on  the  bank  of  which 
the  sentinel  was  posted.  She  had  been  challenged 
but  refused  to  comply  with  the  strict  orders  of  the 
sentinel,  on  which  he  fired  and  gave  her  a  fatal  shot.* 

Reaching  the  creek,  we  passed  it  on  floating  tim- 
ber, resting  against  the  mill  dam,  and  my  companion 
remembered  that  his  regiment  passed  the  mill  pond 
in  the  same  manner  and  at  the  same  place  as  they 
advanced  to  attack  the  British  lines  as  had  been  re- 
lated; and  continuing  our  route  along  a  road  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  creek  we  came  to  the  salient  point 
of  a  hill  near  Schuyler's  house,  where  a  picket,  of 
which  he  was  one,  was  attacked  by  a  party  of  the 
British  in  the  night  of  the  loth  of  October,  but  after 

*  This  incident  should  not  be  confounded  with  the 
woman  of  whom  Madame  Riedesel  speaks,  as  this 
spot  was  some  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Mrs.  Riedesel's 
heroine,  who,  by  the  way,  instead  of  being  killed, 
lived  and  was  rewarded. 
27 


2io  General  Hoyfs  Visit. 

a  little  random  firing  and  a  few  discharges  of  a  field- 
piece  which  advanced  to  the  spot,  the  enemy  fell  back. 

Proceeding  thence  to  the  meadow  near  Fort  Hardy 
and  looking  over  the  ground  where  Burgoyne  piled 
his  arms  on  the  i  ;th  of  October,  we  returned  to  our 
quarters,  where  we  were  shown  several  cannon  balls 
taken  from  the  ground  in  excavating  the  canal. 

Bushett's  house,*  near  the  left  of  the  German  camp, 
in  which  Madame  Riedesel  had  her  quarters  while 
the  British  army  lay  at  this  place,  has  been  repaired 
by  its  present  owner,  and  he  informed  me  that  the 
marks  of  the  cannon  balls  mentioned  in  the  narrative 
of  that  lady  were  to  be  seen  when  first  occupied  by 
him.  The  American  battery  from  which  the  house 
was  cannonaded  was  planted  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  Hudson  above  the  mouth  of  the  Battenkill.  It 
is  justly  due  to  the  officer  who  directed  the  fire,  the 
Hon.  Maj.-Gen.  Ebenezer  Mattoon,  and  since 
adjutant-general  of  the  militia  of  Massachusetts, 
then  a  lieutenant  in  the  artillery,  to  state  that  the 
unfortunate  condition  of  the  people  in  the  house  was 
unknown,  and  that  it  was  supposed  to  be  the  quarters 
of  some  of  the  enemy's  general  officers. 

The  country  embracing  the  operation  of  the  armies 
under  Generals  Gates  and  Burgoyne  is  daily  becom- 
ing more  interesting  to  travelers,  and  many  resort 
there  for  the  gratification  of  a  laudable  curiosity.  As 
time  elapses  it  will  be  sought  with  more  avidity,  and 

*  Now  known  as  the  "  Marshall  house." 


General  Hoyfs  Visit.  2 1 1 

future  generations  may  in  vain  seek  for  the  scenes 
of  these  important  events,  unless  they  are  marked  by 
some  durable  memorial.  As  a  taste  for  monuments 
is  now  increasing  in  our  country  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  events  connected  with  the  capture  of  the 
British  army,  the  pivot  on  which  our  revolutionary 
struggle  turned,  will  not  be  neglected. 

The  elevation  on  the  Freeman  farm  presents  a 
favorable  site  for  a  monument,  on  which  should  be 
engraved  the  names  of  the  principal  patriots  who  fell 
in  the  two  actions  with  an  appropriate  inscription. 
Another  to  mark  the  ground  of  surrender  at  Schuyler- 
ville  would  be  highly  gratifying  to  future  genera- 
tions.* 

*  Were  Gen.  Hoyt  now  living  he  would  be  highly 
gratified  to  see  how  his  ideas  in  this  matter  have  been 
carried  out  in  the  magnificent  monument  at  Schuyler- 
ville  commemorating  Burgoyne's  surrender.  See 
note  ante  regarding  the  Saratoga  monument  under 
the  Due  de  Liancourt's  visit. 


SAMUEL  WOODRUFF'S  VISIT  TO  THE   BATTLE 
GROUND   IN   1827. 


[The  following  account  of  a  visit  to  the  field  of 
Saratoga,  on  .the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  that  battle, 
viz.:  October  i/th,  1827,  was  written  immediately 
afterward  for  the  use  of  the  late  Col.  William  L. 
Stone,  for  his  Life  of  Brant.  The  writer,  the  late 
venerable  Samuel  Woodruff,  Esq.,  of  Windsor, 
(Conn.),  was  a  participator  in  that  battle:] 

WINDSOR,  Conn.,  October  31,  1827. 

MY  DEAR  SIR  —  You  may  remember  when  I  had 
the  pleasure  to  dine  with  you  at  New  York  on  the 
1 4th  inst.,  I  had  set  out  on  a  tour  to  Saratoga  to 
gratify  a  desire  I  felt,  and  which  had  long  been  in- 
creasing, to  view  the  battle  grounds  at  that  place, 
and  the  spot  on  which  the  royal  army  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  Burgoyne  surrendered  to  General 
Gates  on  the  i7th  of  October,  1777. 

I  thought  it  would  add  something  to  the  interest 
of  that  view  to  me,  to  be  there  on  the  1 7th,  exactly 
half  a  century  after  that  memorable  event  took  place. 
You  will  excuse  me  for  entering  a  little  into  the  feel- 
ings of  Uncle  Toby  respecting  Dendermond  in  the 


Samuel   Woodruff 's    Visit.  213 

compressed  and  hastily  written  journal  I  kept  of  my 
tour,  especially  as  you  will  take  into  consideration 
that  I  had  the  honor  to  serve  as  a  volunteer  under 
General  Gates,  part  of  that  campaign,  and  was  in 
the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October. 

I  take  the  liberty  to  enclose  you  an  extract  of  that 
part  of  my  journal  which  embraces  the  principal  ob- 
ject of  my  tour. 

Oct.  1 7th.  After  a  short  stop  in  Troy,  took  an- 
other stage  for  Saratoga ;  at  Lansingburgh,  a  neat 
and  handsome  village,  about  three  miles  from  Troy, 
crossed  the  Hudson  on  a  covered  bridge  of  excellent 
workmanship,  over  to  Waterford  (Old  Half  Moon 
point),  another  rich  and  flourishing  village.  Arrived 
at  Fish  creek  in  Saratoga  at  half-past  two  p.  M. 
through  a  beautiful,  well  cultivated  interval  of  allu- 
vial land  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson  —  every- 
thing from  Albany  to  this  place  wears  the  appearance 
of  wealth  and  comfort.  Put  up  at  Mr.  Barker's 
tavern.  After  dinner  viewed  the  ruins  of  the  British 
fortifications  and  headquarters  of  Gen.  Burgoyne. 
He  kept  his  quarters  for  several  days  at  a  house  now 
standing  and  in  good  repair,  about  a  mile  north  of 
Fish  creek,  on  the  west  side  of  the  road,  owned  by 
Mr.  Busher,*  an  intelligent  farmer  about  seventy-five 
years  of  age.f  While  Burgoyne  held  his  headquar- 

*  Bushee. 

f  Now  known  as  the  "  Marshall  House"-  -See  pre- 
vious note. 


214  Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit. 

ters  at  this  house,*  Baron  Riedesel,  of  the  royal 
army,  obtained  leave  of  the  commander-in-chief  to 
place  his  lady,  the  baroness,  and  their  three  small  chil- 
dren under  the  same  protection ;  these  were  also 
accompanied  by  Lady  Acland  and  some  other  ladies, 
wives  of  British  officers.  At  that  time  some  of  the 
American  troops  were  stationed  on  the  east  bank  of 
the  Hudson,  opposite  the  house,  in  fair  view  of  it,  and 
within  cannon  shot  distance.  Observing  considerable 
moving  of  persons  about  the  house,  the  Americans  sup- 
posed it  the  rendezvous  of  the  British  officers,  and  com- 
menced a  brisk  cannonade  upon  it.  Several  shot  struck 
and  shattered  the  house.  The  baroness,  with  her 
children,  fled  into  the  cellar  for  safety,  and  placed 
herself  and  them  at  the  north-east  corner,  where  they 
were  well  protected  by  the  cellar  wall.  A  British 
surgeon  by  the  name  of  Jones,  having  his  leg  broken 
by  a  cannon  ball,  was  at  this  time  brought  in  and 
laid  on  the  floor  of  the  room  which  the  baroness  and 
the  other  ladies  had  just  left.  A  cannon  ball  entered 
the  house  near  the  north-east  corner  of  the  room,  a 
few  inches  above  the  floor,  and,  passing  through, 
broke  and  mangled  the  other  leg  of  the  poor  surgeon. 
Soon  after  this  he  expired.  Mr.  Busher  very  civilly 
conducted  me  into  the  room,  cellar  and  other  parts 
of  the  house,  pointing  out  the  places  where  the  balls 
entered,  etc.  From  hence  I  proceeded  to  and  viewed 

*  A  mistake  —  as  Burgoynes  headquarters  were  at 
the  Schuyler  mansion. 


Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit.  215 

with  very  great  interest  the  spot  where  Gen.  Bur- 
goyne,  attended  by  his  staff,  presented  his  sword  to 
Gen.  Gates  ;  also  the  ground  on  which  the  arms,  etc., 
of  the  royal  army  were  stacked  and  piled.  This 
memorable  place  is  situated  on  the  flat,  north  side  of 
Fish  creek,  about  forty  rods  west  of  its  entrance  into 
the  Hudson,  and  through  which  the  Champlain  canal 
now  passes. 

Contiguous  to  this  spot  is  the  north-west  angle  of 
old  Fort  Hardy,  a  military  work  thrown  up  and  oc- 
cupied by  the  French,  under  Gen.  Dieskau,  in  the 
year  1755.*  The  lines  of  intrenchment  embrace,  as 
I  should  judge,  about  fifteen  acres  of  ground.  The 
outer  works  on  the  north  side  of  Fish  creek  and  east 
on  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson.  Human  bones, 
fragments  of  fire-arms,  swords,  balls,  tools,  imple- 
ments, broken  crockery,  etc.,  etc.,  are  frequently 
picked  up  on  this  ground. f 

*A  mistake — Fort  Hardy  having  been  erected 
by  the  province  of  New  York  and  named  after  Gov. 
Hardy,  then  the  colonial  governor.  Neither  did 
Dieskau  ever  get  as  far  south  as  this.  See  my  "  Life 
of  Sir  William  Johnson." 

f  And  not  only  here,  but  from  this  point  south  to 
Stillwater,  relics  of  the  battles  are  often  picked  up. 
Indeed,  so  late  as  1877,  the  Saratogian  for  February 
:5»  J877,  says:  "Tradition  says  that  100  years  ago 
the  coming  summer  a  batteaux  load  of  cannon  balls 
and  bomb  shells  was  unloaded  upon  the  west  shore 
of  the  Hudson  river  at  Stillwater,  just  above  the 


216  Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit. 

In  excavating  the  earth  for  the  Champlain  canal, 
which  passes  a  few  rods  west  of  this  fort,  such  num- 
bers of  human  skeletons  were  found  as  render  it 
highly  probable  this  was  the  cemetery  of  the  French 
garrison. 

About  twenty  or  thirty  rods  west  of  the  aqueduct 
for  the  canal  over  Fish  creek  stood  Gen.  Schuyler's 
mills,  which  were  burned  by  order  of  Gen.  Burgoyne. 

Gen.  Schuyler's  dwelling-house,  also,  and  his  other 
buildings,  standing  on  a  beautiful  area  a  little  south- 
east of  the  mills  on  the  south  side  of  the  creek,  suf- 
fered the  same  fate.  The  mills  have  been  rebuilt 
and  are  now  in  operation  at  the  same  place  where 
the  former  stood.  The  grandson  of  Gen.  Schuyler 

rapids  and  in  the  rear  of  Stephen  Bradt's  dwelling. 
The  object  was  to  cart  the  munitions  of  war  around 
the  rapids,  where  the  boat  would  again  be  reloaded. 
Gen.  Burgoyne  and  his  army  were  brought  to  a  stand 
farther  north,  however,  and  the  shells  were  never  re- 
shipped.  High  water,  with  its  masses  of  floating 
debris,  soon  hid  from  sight  the  deadly  missiles.  De- 
cade after  decade  passed  away,  and  the  location  of 
the  balls  was  unknown  until  twenty  seven  years  ago, 
when  one  was  found  protruding  above  the  surface. 
Bradt  began  an  excavation  and  found  over  200  bomb 
shells  of  different  sizes,  which  he  distributed  to  all  his 
neighbors  as  Revolutionary  relics.  Many  of  them 
are  still  in  possession  of  farmers  in  the  vicinity  of 
Stillwater,  and  a  collection  will  be  made  to  place  on 
exhibition  at  the  Centennial.  A  few  of  the  balls  were 
evidently  captured  from  the  British,  as  they  bear  the 
stamp  of  the  lion's  claw." 


Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit.  217 

now  lives  in  a  house  erected  on  the  site  of  the  former 
dwelling  of  his  father  —  a  covered  bridge  across  the 
creek  adjoining  the  mills. 

I  cannot  in  this  place  omit  some  short  notices  of 
Gen.  P.  Schuyler.  It  seems  he  was  commander-in- 
chief  of  the  northern  army  until  the  latter  part  of 
August,  1777,  at  which  time  he  was  superseded  by 
Gen.  Gates. 

I  remember  at  that  time  there  was  some  excite- 
ment in  the  public  mind  and  much  dissatisfaction  ex- 
pressed on  account  of -that  measure;  and  with  my 
limited  means  of  knowledge  I  have  never  been  able 
to  learn  what  good  reason  induced  his  removal.  Few 
men  in  our  country  at  that  time  ranked  higher  than 
Gen.  Schuyler  in  all  the  essential  qualities  of  the 
patriot,  the  gentleman,  the  soldier  and  scholar.  True 
to  the  cause  of  liberty,  he  made  sacrifices  which  few 
were  either  able  or  willing  to  bear.  The  nobility  of 
soul  he  possessed  distinguished  him  from  ordinary 
men,  and  pointed  him  out  as  one  deserving  public 
confidence. 

At  the  surrender  of  the  royal  army  he  generously 
invited  Gen.  Burgoyne,  his  suite  and  several  of  the 
principal  officers,  with  their  ladies,  to  his  house  at 
Albany,  where,  at  his  own  expense,  he  fed  and  lodged 
them  for  two  or  three  weeks  with  the  kindest  hos- 
pitality. 

This  is  the  man  who,  a  few  days  before,  had  suf- 
fered immense  loss  in  his  mills  and  other  buildings 
28 


218  Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit. 

at  Fish   creek,   burned  by  order   of  the  same   Bur- 
goyne  who  had  now  become  his  guest. 

Respecting  Gen.  Gates  I  will  only  ^^.j  finis  coronal 
opus. 

Oct.  1 8th.  At  7  A.  M.,  started  on  foot  to  view 
some  other  and  equally  interesting  places  connected 
with  the  campaign  of  1777.  Three  miles  and  a  half 
south  of  Fish  creek  called  at  the  house  of  a  Mr. 
Smith,  in  which  Gen.  Fraser  died  of  wounds  received 
in  the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October,  and  near  which 
house,  in  one  of  the  British  redoubts,  that  officer  was 
buried.  This  house  then  stood  by  the  road  on  the 
west  margin  of  the  intervale,  at  the  foot  of  the  rising 
ground.  A  turnpike  road  having  since  been  con- 
structed, running  twenty  or  thirty  rods  east  of  the 
old  road,  the  latter  has  been  discontinued,  and  Mr. 
Smith  has  drawn  the  house  and  placed  it  on  the  west 
side  of  the  turnpike. 

Waiving,  for  the  present,  any  farther  notices  of 
this  spot,  1  shall  attempt  a  concise  narrative  of  the 
two  hostile  armies  for  a  short  period  anterior  to  the 
great  battle  of  the  7th  of  October. 

The  object  of  the  British  general  was  to  penetrate 
as  far  as  Albany,  at  which  place,  by  concert,  he  was  to 
meet  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  then  with  a  fleet  and  army 
lying  at  New  York.  In  the  early  part  of  September 
Gen.  Burgoyne  had  advanced  with  his  army  from 
Fort  Edward  and  crossed  the  Hudson  with  his  artil- 
lery, baggage  wagons,  etc.,  on  a  bridge  of  boats,  and 
intrenched  the  troops  on  the  highlands  in  Saratoga. 


Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit.  219 

On  the  i  Qth  of  September  they  left  their  intrench- 
ments,  and  moved  south  by  a  slow  and  cautious 
march  toward  the  American  camp,  which  was  secured 
by  a  line  of  intrenchments  and  redoubts  on  Bemis's 
heights,  running  from  west  to  east,  about  half  a  mile 
in  length,  terminating  at  the  east  end  on  the  west 
side  of  the  intervale. 

Upon  the  approach  of  the  royal  army,  the  Ameri- 
can forces  sallied  forth  from  their  camp,  and  met  the 
British  about  a  mile  north  of  the  American  lines. 
A  severe  conflict  ensued,  and  many  brave  officers 
and  men  fell  on  both  sides.  The  ground  on  which 
this  battle  was  fought  was  principally  covered  with 
standing  wood,  This  circumstance  somewhat  embar- 
rassed the  British  troops  in  the  use  of  their  field 
artillery,  and  afforded  some  advantage  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, particularly  the  riflemen  under  the  command  of 
the  brave  Col.  Morgan,  who  did  great  execution. 
Night,  which  has  so  often  and  so  kindly  interposed 
to  stop  the  carnage  of  conflicting  hosts,  put  an  end 
to  the  battle.  Neither  party  claimed  a  victory.  The 
royal  army  withdrew  in  the  night,  leaving  the  field 
and  their  slain,  with  some  of  their  wounded,  in  pos- 
session of  the  Americans.  The  loss  of  killed  and 
wounded,  as  near  as  could  be  ascertained,  was,  on 
the  part  of  the  British,  600;  and  on  that  of  the 
Americans,  about  350.  The  bravery  and  firmness  of 
the  American  forces  displayed  this  day,  convinced 
the  British  officers  of  the  difficulty,  if  not  utter  im- 
possibility of  continuing  their  march  to  Albany.  The 


220  Samuel  Woodruff's    Visit. 

season  for  closing  the  campaign  in  that  northern  re- 
gion was  advancing  —  the  American  army  was  daily 
augmenting  by  militia,  volunteers,  and  the  "  two 
months  men,"  as  they  were  then  called.  The  fear 
that  the  royal  armies  might  effect  their  junction  at 
Albany,  aroused  the  neighboring  States  of  New 
England,  and  drew  from  New  Hampshire,  Massa- 
chusetts, Connecticut,  and  Vermont  a  large  body  of 
determined  soldiers.  Baum's  defeat  at  Bennington 
had  inspired  them  with  new  hopes  and  invigorated 
their  spirits. 

Under  these  circumstances,  inauspicious  to  the 
hostile  army,  the  British  commander-in-chief  sum- 
moned a  council  of  war ;  the  result  of  which  was  to 
attempt  a  retreat  across  the  Hudson  to  Fort  Ed- 
ward.* Gen.  Gates,  apprehending  the  probability  of 

*That  a  retreat,  even  before  the  expedition  of 
Burgoyne  started,  had  been  among  the  possibilities 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  on  his  advance  Riedesel 
buried  some  boats  at  Fort  Edward  to  be  utilized 
should  the  army  be  forced  to  retreat.  See  my  Life 
of  Gen.  Riedesel.  As  this  work,  however,  is  now 
very  scarce,  the  following  extract  from  the  Remem- 
brances of  Public  Events,  1774-1783,  /  8-48,  is  here 
given  :  "  Burgoyne's  further  retreat  had  been  cut  off 
by  the  loss  of  his  battery.  To  secure  them  without 
leaving  a  guard  he  had  buried  them  at  Fort  Edward 
and  marked  the  place  with  little  board  head-stones, 
on  one  of  which  was  inscribed,  '  Here  lies  the  body 
of  such  an  one,  etc.,'  as  if  it  had  been  the  burying 
place  of  his  soldiers.  When  the  Americans  came 


Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit.  22 1 

this  measure,  seasonably  detached  a  portion  of  his 
force  to  intercept  and  cut  off  the  retreat,  should  that 
be  attempted. 

Many  new  and  unexpected  difficulties  now  pre- 
sented themselves.  The  boats  which  had  served  the 
British  army  for  a  bridge,  being  considered  by  them 
as  of  no  further  use,  had  been  cut  loose,  and  most 
of  them  floated  down  the  river.  The  construction 
of  rafts  sufficient  for  conveying  over  their  artil- 
lery and  heavy  baggage,  would  be  attended  with 
great  danger  as  well  as  loss  of  time.  The  bridges 
over  the  creeks  had  been  destroyed  ;  great  quantities 
of  trees  had  been  felled  across  the  roads  by  order 
of  the  American  general ;  another  thing,  not  of 
the  most  trifling  nature,  Fort  Edward  was  already  in 
possession  of  the  Americans.  In  this  perplexing 
dilemma  the  royal  army  found  themselves  completely 
checkmated.  A  retreat,  however,  was  attempted,  but 
soon  abandoned.  Situated  as  they  now  were,  between 
two  fires,  every  motion  they  made  was  fraught  with 
danger  and  loss.  They  retired  to  their  old  intrenched 
camp. 

Several  days  elapsed  without  any  very  active  ope- 
rations on  either  side.  This  interval  of  time  was, 
however,  improved  by  the  royal  army  in  preparations 
to  make  one  desperate  effort  to  force  the  line  of  the 

to  the  spot  and  examined  it,  they  discovered  the 
stratagem,  and  the  battery  had  a  general  and  joyful 
resurrection.  Gordon,  also,  mentions  this  discovery. 


222  Samuel  Woodruff* s   Visit. 

American  camp,  and  cut  their  way  through  on  their 
march  to  Albany.  The  American  army  improved 
the  meantime  in  strengthening  their  outer  works,  ar- 
ranging their  forces  and  placing  the  Continentals  on 
the  north  side  of  the  intrenchments,  where  valiant 
men  were  expected,  thus  preparing  to  defend  every 
point  of  attack ;  Morgan,  with  his  riflemen,  to  form 
the  left  flank  in  the  woods. 

During  these  few  days  of  "dreadful  preparation," 
information  daily  arrived,  by  deserters  and  other- 
wise, that  an  attack  would  soon  be  made  upon  the 
line  of  our  intrenchments  at  Bemis's  Heights,  near  the 
headquarters  of  Gen.  Gates. 

The  expected  conflict  awakened  great  anxiety 
among  the  American  troops,  but  abated  nothing  of 
that  sterling  intrepidity  and  firmness  which  they  had 
uniformly  displayed  in  the  hour  of  danger;  all  con- 
sidered that  the  expected  conflict  would  be  decisive 
of  the  campaign,  at  least,  if  not  of  the  war  in  which 
we  had  been  so  long  engaged.  Immense  interests 
were  at  stake.  Should  Gen.  Burgoyne  succeed  in 
marching  his  army  to  Albany,  Gen.  Clinton,  without 
any  considerable  difficulty,  would  there  join  him  with 
another  powerful  English  army  and  a  fleet  sufficient 
to  command  the  Hudson  from  thence  to  New  York. 
Should  this  juncture  of  force  take  place  all  the  States 
east  of  the  Hudson  would  be  cut  off  from  all  efficient 
communication  with  the  western  and  southern  States. 

In  addition  to  this  there  were  other  considerations 
of  the  deepest  concern.  The  war  had  already  been 


Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit.  223 

protracted  to  a  greater  length  of  time  than  was  ex- 
pected on  either  side  at  the  commencement.  The 
resources  of  the  country,  which  were  at  first  but  com- 
paratively small  in  respect  to  those  things  necessary 
for  war,  began  to  fail ;  the  term  of  enlistment  of  many 
of  the  soldiers  had  expired. 

We  had  no  public  money,  and  no  government  to 
guaranty  the  payment  of  wages  to  the  officers  and 
soldiers,  nor  to  those  who  furnished  supplies  for  the 
troops. 

Under  these  discouraging  circumstances  it  became 
extremely  difficult  to  raise  recruits  for  the  army. 
During  the  year  1776  and  the  fore  part  of '77  the 
Americans  suffered  greatly  by  sickness  and  were  un- 
successful in  almost  every  recontre  with  the  enemy. 
Men's  hearts,  even  the  stoutest,  began  to  fail.  This 
was,  indeed,  the  most  gloomy  period  of  the  war  of 
the  Revolution. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  about  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  the 
royal  army  commenced  their  march  and  formed  their 
line  of  battle  on  our  left,  near  Bemis's  Heights,  with 
Gen.  Fraser  at  their  head.  Our  pickets  were  driven 
in  about  one  o'clock  p.  M.,  and  were  followed  by  the 
British  troops  on  a  quick  march  to  within  fair  musket 
shot  distance  of  the  line  of  our  intrenchments.  At 
this  moment  commenced  a  tremendous  discharge  of 
cannon  and  musketry,  which  was  returned  with  equal 
spirit  by  the  Americans. 

For  thirty  or  forty  minutes  the  struggle  at  the 
breastworks  was  maintained  with  great  obstinacy. 


224  Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit. 

Several  charges  with  fixed  bayonets  were  made  by 
the  English  grenadiers  with  but  little  effect.  Great 
numbers  fell  on  both  sides.  The  ardor  of  this  bloody 
conflict  continued  for  some  time  without  any  apparent 
advantage  gained  by  either  party.  At  length,  how- 
ever, the  assailants  began  to  give  way,  preserving 
good  order  in  a  regular  but  slow  retreat  —  loading, 
wheeling  and  firing  with  considerable  effect.  The 
Americans  followed  up  the  advantage  they  had 
gained  by  a  brisk  and  well-directed  fire  of  field- 
pieces  and  musketry.  Col.  Morgan,  with  his  rifle- 
men, hung  upon  the  left  wing  of  the  retreating  enemy, 
and  galled  them  with  a  most  destructive  fire.  The 
line  of  battle  now  became  extensive,  and  most  of  the 
troops  of  both  armies  were  brought  into  action.  The 
principal  part  of  the  ground  on  which  this  hard  day's 
work  was  done  is  known  by  the  name  of  Freeman's 
farm.  It  was  then  covered  by  a  thin  growth  of 
pitch-pine  wood  without  underbrush,  excepting  one 
lot  of  about  six  or  eight  acres,  which  had  been 
cleared  and  fenced.  On  this  spot  the  British  grena- 
diers, under  the  command  of  the  brave  Major  Ac- 
land,  made  a  stand  and  brought  together  some  of  their 
field  artillery;  this  little  field  soon  became  literally 
"  the  field  of  blood."  These  grenadiers,  the  flower 
of  the  royal  army,  unaccustomed  to  yield  to  any  op- 
posing force  in  a  fair  field,  fought  with  that  obstinate 
spirit  which  borders  on  madness.  Acland  received 
a  ball  through  both  legs  which  rendered  him  unable 
to  walk  or  stand.  This  occurrence  hastened  the  re- 


Samuel  Woodruff's    Visit.  225 

treat  of  the  grenadiers,  leaving  the  ground  thickly 
strewed  with  their  dead  and  wounded. 

The  battle  was  continued  by  a  brisk  running  fire 
until  dark.  The  victory  was  complete,  leaving  the 
Americans  masters  of  the  field.  Thus  ended  a  battle 
of  the  highest  importance  in  its  consequences,  and 
which  added  great  lustre  to  the  American  arms.  I 
have  seen  no  official  account  of  the  numbers  killed 
and  wounded,  but  the  loss  on  the  part  of  British  must 
have  been  great,  and  on  the  part  of  the  Americans 
not  inconsiderable.  The  loss  of  general  officers  suf- 
fered by  the  royal  army  was  peculiarly  severe.  But 
to  return  to  the  Smith  house.  I  made  known  to  the 
Smith  family  the  object  of  my  calling  upon  them, 
found  them  polite  and  intelligent,  and  learned  from 
them  many  interesting  particulars  respecting  the 
battle  of  the  /th  of  October.  For  several  days  pre- 
vious to  that  time  Gen.  Burgoyne  had  made  that 
house  his  headquarters,  accompanied  by  several  gene- 
ral officers  and  their  ladies,  among  whom  was  Gen. 
Eraser,  the  Baron  and  Baroness  Riedesel,  and  their 
children. 

The  circumstances  attending  the  fall  of  this  gallant 
officer  have  presented  a  question  about  which  mili- 
tary men  are  divided  in  opinion.  The  facts  seem  to 
be  agreed  that,  soon  after  the  commencement  of  the 
action,  Gen.  Arnold,  knowing  the  military  character 
and  efficiency  of  Gen.  Fraser,  and  observing  his  mo- 
tions in  leading  and  conducting  the  attack,  said  to 
Col.  Morgan,  "that  officer  upon  a  grey  horse  is  of 
29 


226  Sarmiel  Woodruff's   Visit. 

himself  a  host,  and  must  be  disposed  of.  Direct  the 
attention  of  some  of  the  sharpshooters  among  your 
riflemen  to  him."  Morgan,  nodding  his  assent  to 
Arnold,  repaired  to  his  riflemen,  and  made  known  to 
them  the  hint  given  by  Arnold.  Immediately  upon 
this  the  crupper  of  the  grey  horse  was  cut  off  by  a 
rifle  bullet,  and  within  the  next  minute  another 
passed  through  the  horse's  mane,  a  little  back  of  his 
ears.  An  aid  of  Eraser  noticing  this,  observed  to 
him,  "Sir,  it  is  evident  that  you  are  marked  out  for 
particular  aim  ;  would  it  not  be  prudent  for  you  to 
retire  from  this  place  ?"  Eraser  replied,  u  my  duty 
forbids  me  to  to  fly  from  danger ;"  and  immediately 
received  a  bullet  through  his  body.  A  few  grena- 
diers were  detached  to  carry  him  to  the  Smith  house. 
Having  introduced  the  name  of  Arnold,  it  may  be 
proper  to  note  here  that  although  he  had  no  regular 
command  that  day,  he  volunteered  his  services,  was 
early  on  the  ground  and  in  the  hottest  part  of  the 
struggle  at  the  redoubts.  He  behaved  (as  I  then 
thought),  more  like  a  madman  than  a  cool  and  dis- 
creet officer.  Mounted  on  a  brown  horse,  he  moved 
incessantly  at  a  full  gallop  back  and  forth,  until  he 
received  a  wound  in  his  leg,  and  his  horse  was  shot 
under  him.*  I  happened  to  be  near  him  when  he  fell, 

f  The  Magazine  of  American  History  for  May, 
1879,  contains  the  following,  which  may  explain  the 
cause  of  Arnold's  actions. 

"ARNOLD  AT  SARATOGA. —  In  the  battle  of  the  ;th 
of  October,  1777,  which  practically  decided  the  fate 


Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit.  227 

and  assisted  in  getting  him  into  a  litter  to  be  carried 
to  headquarters. 

of  Burgoyne's  expedition,  General  Benedict  Arnold 
is  represented  as  galloping  about  the  field  like  one 
beside  himself,  leading  the  troops  to  the  charge  with 
reckless  daring,  and  even  unconsciously  dealing 
blows  on  those  about  him. 

"  Wilkinson  attributed  his  conduct  to  intoxication, 
but  Major  Armstrong,  who  assisted  in  removing 
Arnold,  wounded,  from  the  field,  saw  no  signs  of 
that.  Other  methods  for  accounting  for  his  fren- 
zied behavior  have  been  suggested,  but  no  evidence 
bearing  on  the  question  has  heretofore  been  pro- 
duced that  I  am  aware  of.  In  the  'History  of 
the  town  of  Northwood,'  New  Hampshire,  just  pub- 
lished, I  find  some  testimony  which  may  aid  us  in 
solving  the  problem. 

"  Dr.  Edmund  Chadwick,  of  Deerfield,  N.  H.,  was, 
in  October,  1777,  acting  as  surgeon  of  Col.  Scam- 
mell's  regiment,  and  was  present  at  the  battle  in 
question.  He  related  that  during  the  action,  while 
he  was  engaged  in  his  professional  duties  in  rear  of 
the  American  troops,  a  hogshead  of  rum  stood  near 
him,  the  upper  head  of  which  was  removed  for  the 
convenience  of  serving  the  contents  to  the  men ; 
that  Arnold  rode  up  in  hot  haste,  saying,  'Give  me 
a  dipperful  of  that  rum.'  It  was  handed  him  ;  he 
drank  the  whole,  wheeled  his  horse,  and  dashed  into 
the  fight. 

"The  term  'dipperful'  is  rather  vague,  but  very 
diminutive  vessels  would  be  out  of  place  in  the  army, 
and  it  would  be  a  small  dipper,  probably,  which  con- 
tained less  than  a  pint.  It  may  be  added  that  Dr. 


228  Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit. 

Late  in  the  evening  Gen.  Burgoyne  came  in,  and  a 
tender  scene  took  place  between  him  and  Eraser. 

Chadwick  was  well  known  to  be  a  gentleman  of  char- 
acter and  respectability. 

"  With  regard  to  the  statement  of  Armstrong,  it 
may  be  said  that  a  shock  sometimes  instantly  sobers 
the  most  intoxicated  person.  Arnold  had  been 
severely  wounded,  and  had  his  horse  shot  under  him 
before  he  was  taken  from  the  field. 

"Exeter,  N.  H.— .B" 

One  is  reminded,  by  this  anecdote,  of  a  story  re- 
lated of  President  Lincoln,  who,  on  being  told  that 
a  certain  successful  general  drank  great  quantities  of 
whisky,  asked  his  informant  for  the  particular  brand 
the  orficer  used  —  saying  he  would  order  it  for  some 
other  of  his  generals  ! 

Although  not,  perhaps,  germaine  to  the  present 
work,  yet  for  the  benefit  of  those  of  my  subscribers 
who  are  Free-masons,  I  would  say  (notwithstanding 
much  discussion  on  the  subject)  that  Arnold  was  a 
Free-mason.  In  the  book  for  visitors,  kept  by  "  Solo- 
mon's Lodge,"  at  Poughkeepsie,  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War,  appears  the  signatures,  the  same 
evening,  of  Benedict  Arnold  and  Sir  John  Johnson, 
the  latter  the  last  Provincial  Grand  Master  of  New 
York.  Across  the  signature  of  Arnold  some  one  has 
drawn  a  line  —  in  accordance  with  a  resolution  of 
that  lodge,  after  his  treason,  that  his  name  should  be 
erased  from  its  books,  This  book  containing  these 
interesting  signatures  is  now  (1895)  among  the 
archives  of  the  Masonic  Temple  in  New  York  city. 
Mr.  Edward  M.  L.  Ehlers,  Grand  Secretary,  first 
called  my  attention  to  this,  which  I  have  since  verified 
by  a  personal  inspection  of  the  book. 


Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit.  229 

Gen.  Eraser  was  the  idol  of  the  British  army,  and 
the  officer  on  whom,  of  all  others,  Burgoyne  placed 
the  greatest  reliance.  He  languished  through  the 
whole  night  and  expired  at  eight  o'clock  the  next 
morning.  While  on  his  death-bed  he  advised  Bur- 
goyne, without  delay,  to  propose  to  Gen.  Gates  terms 
of  capitulation,  and  prevent  the  further  effusion  of 
blood  ;  that  the  situation  of  his  army  was  now  hope- 
less ;  they  could  neither  advance  nor  retreat.  He 
also  requested  that  he  might  be  buried  in  the  Great 
redoubt  —  his  body  to  be  borne  thither  between  sun- 
set and  dark,  by  a  body  of  the  grenadiers,  without 
parade  or  ceremony.  This  request  was  strictly  com- 
plied with. 

After  viewing  the  house  to  my  satisfaction  I 
walked  up  to  the  place  of  interment.  It  is  situated 
on  an  elevated  piece  of  ground  commanding  an  ex- 
tensive view  of  the  Hudson,  and  a  great  length  of 
the  beautiful  interval  on  each  side  of  it.  I  was 
alone  ;  the  weather  was  calm  and  serene.  Reflec- 
tions were  awakened  in  my  mind  which  I  am  wholly 
unable  to  describe.  Instead  of  the  bustle  and  hum 
of  the  camp,  and  confused  noise  of  the  battle  of  the 
warrior,  and  the  shouts  of  victory  which  I  here  wit- 
nessed fifty  years  ago,  all  was  now  silent  as  the 
abodes  of  the  dead.  And,  indeed,  far,  far  the  great- 
est part  of  both  those  armies  who  were  then  in  active 
life  at  and  near  this  spot,  are  now  mouldering  in 
their  graves  like  that  valiant  officer  whose  remains 
are  under  my  feet  — "  their  memories  and  their 


230  Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit. 

names  lost,"  while  God,  in  his  merciful  Providence, 
has  preserved  my  life,  and  after  the  lapse  of  half  a  cen- 
tury has  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of  once  more 
viewing  those  places  which  force  upon  my  mind  many 
interesting  recollections  of  my  youthful  days.* 

*  In  connection  with  these  battles  there  are  three 
items  which  may  appropriately  here  receive  notice. 
The  first  is  taken  from  the  Saratoga  county  Standard 
for  July  26,  1876  :  "  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Gleason,  of  Still- 
water,  was  born  in  Easton,  opposite  Bemis's  Heights, 
October  7,  1777,  during  the  hours  that  the  decisive 
struggle  was  being  fought.  Her  father,  Thomas 
Lawson,  was  engaged  in  the  battle  in  Col.  Yates' 
Schaghticoke  regiment.  Nearly  all  of  her  century 
of  life  has  been  passed  in  the  vicinity  of  Bemis's 
Heights,  living  with  her  husband,  Wm.  Gleason, 
either  on  a  farm  at  the  "  Huddle,"  or  on  another  near 
the  famous  "Tory  Hill"  She  yet  retains  a  vivid 
recollection  of  the  early  days,  and  is  well  preserved 
in  bodily  health.  She  lives  with  her  daughter,  Mrs. 
Charlotte  Hoskins,  in  the  village  of  Stillwater.  The 
second  is,  that  the  celebrated  "  Baron  Munchhausen," 
the  author  of  the  "  Adventures,"  was  long  believed 
to  be  only  a  nom  de  plume,  and  a  parody  on  the 
14  Travels  of  Baron  de  Tott,"  or  on  Bruce's  "  Travels 
in  Abyssinia,"  and  that  in  "  the  Gentleman  s  Maga- 
zine for  January,  1857,  it  is  satisfactorily  (?)  made  out 
that  '  Miinchhausen's  Travels'  were  written  at  Dal- 
coath  Mine,  in  Cornwall,  England,  by  a  Mr.  Raspe,  a 
German,  who  was  store-keeper  of  that  establish- 
ment. The  true  history  of  Baron  Munchhausen, 
however,  is  as  follows :  Munchhausen  was  one  of 
the  Brunswickers  who  served  under  General  Riedesel 


Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit.  231 

Oct.  i Qth.  On  my  return  down  the  river  from 
Albany  to  New  York,  in  the  steamboat  "  North 
America,"  I  had  leisure  and  opportunity  for  reflect- 

against  us  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  At  the  time  of 
Burgoyne's  surrender,  Munchhausen  lost  a  leg  while 
defending  "  the  great  redoubt"  against  the  spirited 
attack  of  General  Arnold.  After  the  war  he  returned 
to  his  native  city,  Brunswick,  and  lived  there  until 
death,  which  occurred  about  the  year  1804.  Being 
incapacitated  for  any  active  employment,  Munch- 
hausen amused  himself  by  writing  those  marvellous 
stories  for  children,  which  have,  in  Germany  at  least, 
become  classic.  I  have  myself  stood  over  his  grave, 
in  Brunswick,  in  company  with  Registrator  Sack  (of 
the  Brunswick  Civil  Court),  who  was  personally  ac- 
quainted with  Miinchhausen,  and  who  is  also  my  au- 
thority for  the  statement  that  the  Munchhausen  who 
was  wounded  in  the  redoubt  is  identical  with  the  au- 
thor of  the  "  Adventures." 

The  third,  is  in  regard  to  the  national  flag  of  the 
United  States.  A  great  deal  of  misapprehension  ex- 
ists about  the  date  when  it  was  first  flung  to  the 
breeze.  Thus,  a  writer  in  the  Saratogian  for  August 
26,  1880,  says:  "  The  growth  of  the  American  flag 
was  a  gradual  thing,  and  anything  in  connection  with 
it  interesting.  Bunker  Hill  was  fought  without  a 
flag.  The  flag  displayed  by  Putnam,  on  Prospect 
Hill,  was  red,  with  the  motto  '  An  appeal  to 
Heaven.'  The  thirteen  stripes  were  employed  to 
represent  the  colonies  on  the  flag  first  raised  by 
Washington  at  Cambridge,  January  2,  1776.  It  was 
called  the  'grand  union'  flag.  On  June  14,  1777, 
Congress  resolved  *  that  the  flag  of  the  thirteen 
United  States  be  thirteen  stripes,  alternate  red 


232  Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit. 

ing  upon  the  immense  wealth  and  resources  of  the 
State  of  New  York  —  greater,  I  believe,  at  this  time 
than  that  of  any  other  two  States  in  the  Union.  It 

and  white;  that  the  union  be  thirteen  stars,  white 
in  a  blue  field,  representing  a  new  constellation.' 
This  flag  was,  it  is  claimed,  first  unfolded  by 
Paul  Jones  on  the  Ranger  on  the  day  of  the  adop- 
tion of  the  resolution.  Various  claims  have  been 
made  to  the  honor  of  first  unfolding  the  flag,  but 
we  think  that  the  above  is  authority.  The  Rome 
Sentinel  publishes  the  following  in  relation  to  the 
subject,  thus  recording  another  claim  which,  it  will 
be  seen,  puts  the  date  subsequent  to  the  date  on 
which  Paul  Jones  is  said  to  have  flung  the  flag  to 
the  breeze  :  Not  long  since  a  correspondent  of  the 
New  York  Mail  gave  an  interesting  account  of  the 
history  of  the  United  States  flag,  in  which  account 
was  stated  that  the  first  stars  and  stripes  ever  flung 
to  the  breeze  were  unfurled  in  the  battle  of  Sara- 
toga, September  2,  1777.  This  is  a  mistake  that 
needs  correcting :  The  honor  of  unfurling  the  first 
star  spangled  banner  belongs  to  the  garrison  of  Fort 
Stanwix,  the  site  of  which  fort  is  now  the  site  of 
Rome.  From  Pomroy  Jones'  'Annals  of  Oneida 
County,'  we  glean  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the  siege 
of  Fort  Stanwix,  August  3,  1777,  Colonel  Ganse- 
voort's  garrison  was  without  a  flag.  Military  pride, 
indeed,  every  sense  of  propriety,  would  not  allow 
them  to  dispense  with  an  appendage  so  proper  to  a 
beleaguered  fortress.  Necessity  being  the  mother 
of  invention,  shirts  were  cut  up  to  form  the  white 
stripes,  bits  of  scarlet  cloth  were  joined  for  the  red, 
and  the  blue  ground,  for  the  stars,  was  composed  of 
a  camlet  cloak  furnished  by  Capt.  Abraham  Swart- 


Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit.  233 

would  be  hazarding  nothing  to  say  that  this  single 
State  possesses  more  physical  power,  and  more  of  the 
"  sinews  of  war,"  than  were  employed  by  the  whole 
thirteen  States  through  the  war  of  the  Revolution. 
This,  among  other  considerations,  led  me  to  the  re- 
flection how  honorable  it  would  be  to  the  State,  and 
how  deserving  of  the  occasion,  that  a  monument  be 

wout,  of  Poughkeepsie,  an  officer  of  the  garrison. 
This  same  camlet  cloak  was  taken  from  a  detach- 
ment of  the  British,  at  Peekskill,  by  Col.  Marinus 
Willett,  in  the  spring  of  1776,  he  being  then  in  com- 
mand of  the  Third  New  York  Regiment,  to  which 
Capt.  Swartwout  belonged.  There  is  glory  in  the 
flag  of  our  Union  ;  and  the  honor  of  first  unfurling 
it  to  the  breeze  belongs  to  the  gallant  garrison  of 
Fort  Stanwix,  which  fought  under  that  flag  on  the 
6th  of  August,  1777,  a  day  the  events  of  which  con- 
tributed more  to  the  independence  of  the  United 
States  than  is  generally  understood." 

The  fact  is,  however,  that  while  it  is  true  that  a 
flag  intended  for  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  made  out 
of  a  white  shirt  and  some  bits  of  red  cloth  from  the 
petticoat  of  a  soldier's  wife,  first  floated  on  captured 
standards  on  the  ramparts  of  Fort  Stanwix  (the 
present  site  of  Rome),  August  5,  1777  ;  yet  the  stars 
and  stripes  as  we  now  see  them  —  except  as  to  the 
number  of  stars — was  first  unfurled  to  grace  the  sur- 
render at  Saratoga,  October  1 7,  1 777.  The  Fort  Stan- 
wix flag  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mrs.  Abraham 
Lansing,  of  Albany,  a  descendant  of  General  Ganse- 
voort,  by  whom  it  is  cherished  as  a  most  precious 
relic. 

30 


234  Samuel  Woodruff's   Visit. 

erected  at  or  near  the  place  where  the  royal  army 
surrendered  by  capitulation  on  the  i  7th  of  October, 
1777,  in  commemoration  of  an  event  so  important 
in  our  national  history.  The  battle  of  the  7th  of 
October  may  be  considered,  in  its  effects  and  conse- 
quences, as  the  termination  of  the  war,  with  as  much 
propriety  as  that  of  Bunker's  Hill  was  the  commence- 
ment of  it. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully  yours, 

SAMUEL  WOODRUFF. 
WILLIAM  L.  STONE,  ESQ. 


VISIT  OF  JAMES  STUART,  AN  ENGLISH  TRAV- 
ELER, IN  THE  AUTUMN  OF  1828.* 


The  field  of  Gen.  Burgoyne's  chief  battles  and  of 
his  surrender  is  on  the  Hudson,  about  ten  or  twelve 
miles  from  Saratoga  Springs.  Most  people  devote 
a  day  to  survey  it.  On  the  27th  of  October  we  hired 
a  conveyance  from  Mr.  Samuel  Burtis  at  Saratoga 
Springs,  who  is  a  most  useful  and  obliging  person, 
as  horse  and  carriage  hirer,  and  setting  off  early  in 
the  morning,  spent  most  of  the  day  on  those  parts 
of  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  rendered  memorable  by 
the  disasters,  sufferings  and,  ultimately,  by  the  sur- 
render of  a  great  British  army,  which,  in  its  conse- 

*  James  Stuart  was  born  in  Duncarn,  Fifeshire, 
Scotland,  in  1776,  and  died  at  his  residence  at  Nott- 
inghill,  London,  Eng.,  on  the  3d  of  November,  1849. 
He  was  the  son  of  Charles  Stuart,  who  was  descended 
from  the  third  Earl  of  Moray.  Being  an  ardent  sup- 
porter of  the  Whigs,  the  Tories  heaped  all  sorts  of 
abuse  on  him.  Discovering  that  Sir  Alexander  Bos- 
well,  Bart.,  the  eldest  son  of  Dr.  Johnson's  biographer, 
was  one  of  his  chief,  traducers,  Stuart  called  on  him 
to  apologize  for  a  pasquinade  which  he  had  written 
in  a  Glasgow  newspaper.  Upon  Boswell  refusing  to 
do  so  Stuart  challenged  him  to  a  duel,  which  was 


236  Visit  of  James  Stuart. 

quences,  led  to  the  separation  of  the  American  colo- 
nies from  Great   Britain.     *     *     *     Circumstantial 
details  of  these  battles  have  been  published     *     * 
which  make  it  not  very  difficult  to  understand  on  the 

fought  near  Auchtertool,  in  Fife,  on  the  26th  of 
March,  1822,  where  Sir  Alexander  Boswell  was  mor- 
tally wounded.  Stuart  was  tried  in  consequence  for 
murder,  but  acquitted,  his  conduct  on  the  occasion  of 
the  duel  being  proved  to  have  been  highly  creditable. 
The  expenses  of  his  trial,  however,  and  unfortunate 
speculations,  caused  him  to  retreat  to  the  United 
States.  After  his  return  to  Scotland  he  obtained  a 
discharge  from  his  creditors  and  published  an  account 
of  his  travels  in  the  United  States  in  1828,  under  the 
title  of  "  Three  Years  in  North  America,"  from  which 
his  "  Visit  to  the  Saratoga  Battle  Grounds  "  is  taken. 
This  work,  calling  forth  several  adverse  criticisms 
from  those  of  the  English  reviews  that  were  un- 
friendly to  republican  institutions,  elicited  a  reply 
from  him  in  a  work  entitled,  "  Refutations  of  Asper- 
sions on  Stuart's  Three  Years  in  North  America," 
London,  1834.  He  edited  for  several  years  the  Lon- 
don Courier.  The  violent  partisan  attitude  he  as- 
sumed in  politics  called  forth  chastisement  frequently 
in  the  pages  of  Blackwood,  especially  from  John 
Wilson  in  his  Noctes  Ambrosiance,  where  he  figures 
under  the  name  of  "  Stot "  (anglice  "  Steer  ").  Stuart 
was  noted  for  his  taste  in  art  and  his  social  quali- 
ties, although  his  adherence  to  principles  often  led 
him  into  serious  difficulties.  His  account  of  his 
visit  to  the  Saratoga  battle  grounds  is  admirable, 
especially  his  description  of  their  topographical  fea- 
tures. 


Visit  of  James  Stuart,  237 

spot, —  Bemis's  Heights  and  Freeman's  Farm,  which 
we  visited — the  relative  positions  of  the  armies,  even 
without  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Ezra  Buel,  whom 
we  saw,  now  a  very  old  man,  who  was  the  guide  of 
the  American  army,  and  wounded  in  one  of  these 
battles.  *  *  *  ' 

Anything  like  a  history  of  this  important,  though 
short,  campaign  would  be  out  of  place  here  —  my  ob- 
ject merely  being  to  give  such  information  as  may 
prevent  travelers  from  passing  through  this  part  of  the 
country  without  being  aware  of  the  interest  attached 
to  it,  or  knowing  how  easy  it  is  to  having  pointed  out 
to  them,  in  the  course  of  a  few  hours,  and  still  with 
perfect  precision,  some  of  the  leading  circumstances 
of  the  greatest  military  event  which  has  occurred  in 
America  —  the  stations  of  the  opposing  armies  - 
the  houses  which  were  the  headquarters  on  each 
side  —  the  spots  where  Gen.  Fraser  and  some  of  the 
most  eminent  officers  were  killed  —  where  Fraser 
was  buried  —  and  the  field  in  which  were  piled  the 
arms  and  stores  of  the  capitulating  army. 

In  the  battle  of  the  iQth,  Gen.  Burgoyne  himself 
was  aimed  at,  but  the  aide-de  camp  of  Gen.  Phillips 
received  the  ball  through  his  arm  while  delivering  a 
message  to  Burgoyne,  the  mistake  being  occasioned 
by  his  having  his  saddle  trappings  of  rich  lace,  which 
induced  the  marksman  to  suppose  him  the  com- 
mander. *  *  *  The  spot  where  Gen.  Fraser  was 
wounded  in  the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October,  is  in  a 
meadow,  close  to  a  blacksmith  shop,  on  a  bit  of  ele- 


238  Visit  of  James  Stuart. 

vated  ground.*  The  place  of  his  interment  is  now 
hardly  distinguishable  ;  no  monument  or  tablet  of 
any  kind  has  been  erected  over  the  grave  of  this 
brave  and  meritorious  officer.  *  *  *  f 

We  returned  from  the  battle  grounds  to  the  coun- 
try hotel  [the  tavern  at  Stillwater],  about  half  a  mile 
from  the  house  where  the  Baroness  de  Riedesel  spent 
the  miserably  anxious  day  (the  7th  of  October, 
1777,)  very  ready  for  the  dinner  set  out  for  us,  beef- 
steaks, potatoes,  vegetables,  and  apple  pie.  In  pass- 
ing through  the  ante-room,  on  our  way  to  dinner,  we 
saw  another  edition  of  precisely  the  same  dinner 
placed  in  it  for  our  driver.  This  is  an  example,  and 
one  of  the  most  common,  every  day  kind,  of  the 
equality  existing  in  this  country.  The  drivers  not 
unfrequently  dine  at  the  stage  hotels  with  the  pas- 
sengers; but  they  would  not  submit  to  have  an  in- 
ferior dinner,  nor  one  served  up  after  the  others. 
All  pay,  and,  if  industrious  and  sober,  are  able  to 
pay  alike. 

*This  spot,  where  yet  (1894)  stands  the  stump  of 
the  original  tree  under  which  Fraser  was  shot,  is  now 
marked  by  a  tablet,  placed  there  by  the  exertions  of 
Mrs.  E.  H.  Walworth,  the  indefatigable  trustee  of  the 
Saratoga  Monument  Association.  The  blacksmith 
shop  here  referred  to,  and  which  now  belongs  to 
Walker,  and  which  is  mentioned  in  Gen.  Hoyt's  letter 
(See  ante},  has  long  since  been  torn  down.— 

f  Mrs.  Walworth  has  also  had  erected  a  tablet 
marking  the  spot  where  Fraser  is  buried. 


VISIT    OF    GENERAL    EBENEZER   MATTOON  IN 

1835.* 


AMHERST,  MASS.,  Oct.  7,  1835. 

PHILIP  SCHUYLER,  ESQ., —  Sir:  Yours  of  the  i7th 
tilt.,  requesting  me  to  give  you  a  detailed  account  of 
what  I  recollect  of  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  surrender 
of  Gen.  Burgoyne,  etc.,  was  duly  received. 

When  I  left  home  on  a  visit  to  my  friend  Frost, 
at  Union  Village,  it  was  my  intention  to  have  visited 
the  ground  on  which  the  army  of  Gen.  Burgoyne  was 
met  and  compelled  to  surrender.  But  the  absence  of 
Mr.  Frost  prevented.  Had  I  known,  however,  that 
a  descendant  of  that  venerable  patriot  and  distin- 
guished commander,  Gen.  Schuyler,  was  living  on 
the  ground,  I  should  have  procured  means  to  pay  him 
my  respects. 

*  For  this  valuable  letter  from  the  Saratoga  Senti- 
nel of  November  10,  1835,  I  am  indebted  to  the 
courtesy  of  my  friend,  the  late  Mr.  Lyman  C. 
Draper,  of  Madison,  Wis.,  who  first  directed  my  at- 
tention to  it. 

Ebenezer  Mattoon  was  born  at  Amherst,  Mass., 
August  19,  1/55,  and  died  there  September  17,  1843. 
The  son  of  a  farmer,  he  graduated  at  Dartmouth 
College  in  1 776,  and  then  joined  the  artillery  company 


240  Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mattoon. 

Gen.  Gates,  indeed,  obtained  the  honor  of  cap- 
turing Burgoyne  and  his  army ;  but  let  me  tell  you, 
sir,  that  it  was  more  through  the  wise  and  prudent 
counsels  of  your  brave  and  distinguished  ancestor, 
and  the  energy  and  intrepidity  of  Generals  Lincoln 
and  Arnold,  than  through  the  ability  and  foresight 
of  Gates. 

In  my  narrative  I  shall  confine  myslf  to  what 
transpired  from  the  ;th  to  the  i  ;th  day  of  October, 
1777,  both  days  included.  This  will  necessarily  lead 
me  to  correct  the  statement  of  Gen.  Wilkinson  and 
a  Mr.  Buel,  in  your  neighborhood,  respecting  the  fall 
of  Gen.  Fraser.  By  confounding  the  two  accounts 
of  the  i  Qth  of  September  and  7th  of  October,  neither 
of  them  is  correctly  described. 

The  action  of  the  iQth  of  September  commenced 
about  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  and  continued  during  the 
day,  each  army  alternately  advancing  and  retiring. 
On  that  day  Col.  Morgan  posted  a  number  of  his 
riflemen  to  take  off  the  officers  as  they  appeared  out 

at  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  and  left  the  service  with 
the  rank  of  major.  He  was  a  delegate  from  Am- 
herst  to  the  conventions  ;  and  was  several  times  a 
member  of  the  Legislature.  From  1797  to  1816 
major-general  4th  division  ;  adjutant-general  of  the 
State,  1816;  State  Senator,  1795-6;  twenty  years 
sheriff  of  Hampshire;  M.  C.  1801-3;  and  in  1820, 
although  blind,  was  a  member  of  the  State  Constitu- 
tional Convention.  He  commanded  the  A.  and  H. 
artillery  company  in  1817.  Gen.  Mattoon  was  a 
scientific  farmer. — Drakes  Biographical  Dictionary. 


Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mat  toon.  241 

of  the  woods  ;  but  no  such  posting  of  riflemen  oc- 
curred on  the  7th  of  October,  Gen.  Wilkinson  to  the 
contrary  notwithstanding. 

On  the  7th  of  October  the  American  army  was 
posted,  their  right  wing  resting  on  the  North  River, 
and  their  left  extending  on  to  Bemis's  Heights, 
Generals  Nixon  and  Glover*  commanding  on  the 

*  Glover  was  from  Marblehead,  Mass.,  and  a  con- 
temporary MS.  journal  thus  speaks  of  his  part  in 
this  action:  "Even  the  stolid  Hessians  expressed 
their  amazement  when  they  saw  these  brave  Marble- 
headers  dash  through  the  fire  of  grape  and  canister 
and  over  the  dead  bodies  of  their  comrades,  through 
the  embrasures,  over  the  cannon,  with  the  same 
agility  with  which  they  formerly  climbed  to  the  main- 
top, or  traversed  the  backstays,  bayoneting  the  can- 
noneers at  their  posts.  It  was  said  that  Morgan's 
riflemen  ran  up  the  trees  which  commanded  the 
enemy's  guns  with  the  speed  of  catamounts. 
Glover's  troops  evinced  the  coolness  and  agility  of 
sailors  in  their  attack,  and  showed  that  they  could 
use  the  bayonet  with  as  much  skill  and  effect  as  the 
marling  or  hand-spike  on  board  ship. 

"  Till  that  hour  the  bete  noir  of  our  army  was  the 
Hessian  and  his  bayonet,  with  which  he  was  ascribed 
as  having  almost  superhuman  skill.  That  day  he 
was  beaten  with  his  own  chosen  weapon,  and  the  les- 
son he  learned  and  we  learned  was  an  important  fac- 
tor in  future  contests.  After  one  of  the  most  des- 
perate hand  to  hand  contests  ever  known  on  this 
planet,  the  redoubt  [Breyman's]  was  taken,  the  guns 
turned  on  the  enemy,  and  the  day  was  ours.  Noth- 
ing shows  the  fiery  nature  of  this  battle  more  dis- 


242  Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mattoon. 

right ;  Lincoln,  the  centre,  and  Morgan  and  Larnerd 
the  left.*  The  British  army,  with  its  left  resting  on 
the  river,  commanded  by  Philips ;  their  centre  by 
Gen.  Redhiesel,f  and  the  extreme  right  extending  to 
the  heights,  was  commanded  by  Lord  Balcarras,J 
where  he  was  strongly  fortified.  Their  light  troops 
were  under  the  command  of  Gen.  Eraser  and  Lord 
Auckland  [Acland]. 

tinctly  than  the  fact  that  Gen.  Glover  that  day  had 
three  horses  shot  under  him." 

*  "  The  position  thus  selected  lay  between  the  Hud- 
son River  on  the  east  and  Saratoga  Lake  only  six 
miles  to  the  west ;  the  high  lands  west  of  the  river 
valley  were  cut  by  three  deep  ravines  leading  east- 
erly, forming  strong  natural  barriers  against  an  ap- 
proaching army  ;  the  whole  country  in  this  vicinity 
was  a  wilde'rness,  and  the  high  ground  approaches  so 
near  the  river  there  that  it  was  the  most  advantage- 
ous point  in  the  whole  valley  to  dispute  the  passage 
of  the  British  army  moving  from  the  north.  Such 
was  the  place  selected  by  the  experienced  Polish 
patriot  Kosciusko,  and  approved  by  Gen.  Gates,  as 
the  Thermopylae  of  the  struggle  for  American  free- 
dom."— General E.  F.  Bullard's  Centennial  Address 
at  Schuylerville,  July  4,  1876. 

f  Ried-esel,  pronounced  Re-day-zel,  with  accent  on 
second  syllable.  The  Cockneys  in  the  British  army 
pronounced  it  Red-hazel — whence  Gen.  Mattoon's 
spelling  of  it  is  doubtless  derived. 

\  Balcarras,  it  may  be  remembered,  was  the  officer 
who  got  into  a  serious  altercation  with  Arnold  in 
England  —  refusing  to  speak  or  recognize  him. 


Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mattoon.  243 

About  one  o'clock  of  this  day  two  signal  guns 
were  fired  on  the  left  of  the  British  army,  which  in- 
dicated a  movement.  Our  troops  were  immediately 
put  under  arms,  and  the  lines  manned.  At  this  junc- 
ture Gens.  Lincoln  and  Arnold  rode  with  great  speed 
towards  the  enemy's  lines.  While  they  were  absent 
the  picket  guards  on  both  sides  were  engaged  near 
the  river.  In  about  half  an  hour  Generals  Lincoln 
and  Arnold  returned  to  headquarters,  where  many  of 
the  officers  collected  to  hear  the  report,  General  Gates 
standing  at  the  door. 

Gen.  Lincoln  says,  "  Gen.  Gates,  the  firing  at  the 
river  is  merely  a  feint ;  their  object  is  your  left.  A 
strong  force  of  1,500  men  are  marching  circuitously 
to  plant  themselves  on  yonder  height.  That  point 
must  be  defended  or  your  camp  is  in  danger."  Gates 
replied,  "  I  will  send  Morgan  with  his  riflemen  and 
Dearborn's  infantry." 

Arnold  says,  "That  is  nothing;  you  must  send  a 
strong  force."  Gates  replied,  "  Gen.  Arnold,  I  have 
nothing  for  you  to  do  ;  you  have  no  business  here." 
Arnold's  reply  was  reproachful  and  severe. 

Gen.  Lincoln  says,  "You  must  send  a  strong  force 
to  support  Morgan  and  Dearborn,  at  least  three 
regiments." 

Two  regiments  from  Gen.  Larned's  brigade  and 
one  from  Gen.  Nixon's  were  then  ordered  to  that 
station,  and  to  defend  it,  at  all  hazards.  Generals 
Lincoln  and  Arnold  immediately  left  the  encampment 
and  proceeded  to  the  enemy's  lines. 


244  Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mat  toon. 

In  a  few  minutes  Capt.  Furnival's  company  of  ar- 
tillery, in  which  I  was  lieutenant,  was  ordered  to 
march  towards  the  fire,  which  had  now  opened  upon 
our  picket  in  front,  the  picket  consisting  of  about 
300  men.  While  we  were  marching  the  whole  line, 
up  to  our  picket  or  front,  was  engaged.  We  ad- 
vanced to  a  height  of  ground  which  brought  the 
enemy  in  view,  and  opened  our  fire.  But  the 
enemy's  guns,  eight  in  number,  and  much  heavier 
than  ours,  rendered  our  position  untenable. 

We  then  advanced  into  the  line  of  infantry.  Here 
Lieutenant  M'Lane  joined  me.  In  our  front  there 
was  a  field  of  corn,  in  which  the  Hessians  were 
secreted.  On  our  advancing  towards  the  corn  field  a 
number  of  men  rose  and  fired  upon  us.  M'Lane 
was  severely  wounded.  While  I  was  removing  him 
from  the  field  the  firing  still  continued  without 
abatement. 

During  this  time  a  tremendous  firing  was  heard  on 
our  left.  We  poured  upon  them  our  canister  shot 
as  fast  as  possible,  and  the  whole  line,  from  left  to 
right,  became  engaged.  The  smoke  was  very  dense 
and  no  movements  could  be  seen  ;  but  as  it  soon 
arose,  our  infantry  appeared  to  be  slowly  retreating 
and  the  Hessians  slowly  advancing,  their  officers  urg- 
ing them  on  with  their  hangers. 

Just  at  this  moment  an  elderly  man,  with  a  long 
hunting  gun,  coming  up  I  said  to  him,  "  Daddy,  the 
infantry  mustn't  leave,  I  shall  be  cut  to  pieces."  He 
replied,  "I'll  give  them  another  gun."  The  smoke 


Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mattoon.  245 

then  rising  again,  several  officers,  led  by  a  general, 
appeared  moving  to  the  northward,  in  rear  of  the 
Hessian  line.  The  old  man  at  that  instant  dis- 
charged his  gun  and  the  general  officer  pitched  for- 
ward on  the  neck  of  his  horse,  and  instantly  they  all 
wheeled  about,  the  old  man  observing,  "  I  have  killed 
that  officer,  let  him  be  who  he  will."  I  replied,  "y°u 
have,  and  it  is  a  general  officer,  and  by  his  dress  I 
believe  it  is  Frazer."  While  they  were  turning 
about  three  of  their  horses  dropped  down  ;  but 
their  further  movements  were  then  concealed  by  the 
smoke. 

Here  I  will  offer  the  reasons  why  I  think  this  offi- 
cer was  Gen.  Fraser,  and  that  he  was  killed  by  the 
shot  of  this  old  man.  In  the  first  place,  the  distance, 
by  actual  measurement,  was  within  reach  of  a  gun: 
for  the  next  morning,  a  dispute  arising  about  the 
distance,  some  contending  that  it  was  eight  rods  and 
others  fifteen,  two  respectable  sergeants,  both  of  whom 
have  since  been  generals  in  the  militia  of  Massachu- 
setts, Boardman  and  Lazell,  were  selected  to  decide 
the  dispute  by  pacing  the  ground.  They  did  so,  and 
found  the  distance  from  the  stump  where  the  old 
man  stood  to  the  spot  where  the  horses  fell  just 
twelve  rods.  In  the  next  place  the  officer  was  shot 
through  the  body  from  left  to  right  as  was  afterwards 
ascertained.  Now  from  his  relative  position  to  the 
posted  riflemen,  he  could  not  have  been  shot  through 
in  this  direction,  but  they  must  have  hit  him  in  front. 


246  Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mattoon. 

Moreover,  the  riflemen  could  not  have  seen  him  on 
account  of  the  smoke  in  which  he  was  enveloped.* 

The  troops  continuing  warmly  engaged,  Col.  John- 
son's regiment  coming  up,  threw  in  a  heavy  fire  and 
compelled  the  Hessians  to  retreat.  Upon  this  we 
advanced  with  a  shout  of  victory.  At  the  same  time 
Auckland's  [Acland's]  corps  gave  way. 

We  proceeded  but  a  short  distance  before  we  came 
upon  four  pieces  of  brass  cannon,  closely  surrounded 
with  the  dead  and  dying ;  at  a  few  yards  further  we 
came  upon  two  more.  Advancing  a  little  further  we 
were  met  by  a  fire  from  the  British  infantry,  which 
proved  very  fatal  to  one  of  Col.  Johnson's  com- 
panies, in  which  were  killed  one  sergeant,  one  cor- 
poral, fourteen  privates  —  and  about  twenty  were 
wounded. 

They  advanced  with  a  quick  step,  firing  as  they 
came  on.  We  returned  them  a  brisk  fire  of  canister 

*  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  old  man,  to  whom 
the  writer  alludes,  shot  an  officer ;  but  that  he  killed 
Gen.  Fraser  cannot  be  correct,  since  not  only  was 
Murphy  positive  that  he  fell  before  his  rifle,  but  seve- 
ral authors  have  stated  that  Fraser  told  his  friends 
after  he  was  wounded,  "  that  he  saw  the  man  who 
shot  him,  and  that  he  was  a  rifleman  posted  in  a 
tree."  See,  also,  Silliman's  visit  to  the  battleground 
some  pages  back,  where  he  speaks  of  Morgan  having 
told  his  friend,  Hon.  Richard  Brent,  to  this  effect, 
and  Simms'  "  Frontiersmen  of  New  York,"  in  which 
this  writer  says  that  Murphy's  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters assured  him  that  their  father  shot  Fraser. 


Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mat  toon.  247 

shot,  not  allowing  ourselves  time  even  to  sponge  our 
pieces.  In  a  short  time  they  ceased  firing  and  ad- 
vanced upon  us  with  trailed  arms.  At  this  juncture 
Arnold  came  up  with  a  part  of  Brooks's  regiment 
and  gave  them  a  most  deadly  fire,  which  soon  caused 
them  to  face  about  and  retreat  with  a  quicker  step 
than  they  advanced. 

The  firing  had  now  principally  ceased  on  our  left, 
but  was  brisk  in  front  and  on  the  right.  At  this  mo- 
ment Arnold  says  to  Col.  Brooks  (late  governor  of 
Massachusetts),  "  Let  us  attack  Balcarras's  works." 
Brooks  replied,  "No.  Lord  Auckland's  [Acland's] 
detachment  has  retired  there ;  we  can't  carry  them." 
"  Well,  then,  let  us  attack  the  Hessian  lines." 
Brooks  replies,  "with  all  my  heart."  We  all  wheeled 
to  the  right  and  advanced.  No  fire  was  received, 
except  from  the  cannon,  until  we  got  within  about 
eight  rods,  when  we  received  a  tremendous  fire  from 
the  whole  line.  But  a  few  of  our  men,  however,  fell. 
Still  advancing,  we  received  a  second  fire,  in  which  a 
few  men  fell,  and  Gen.  Arnold's  horse  fell  under  him 
and  he  himself  was  wounded.  He  cried  out,  ''  Rush 
on,  my  brave  boys."  After  receiving  the  third  fire, 
Brooks  mounted  their  works,  swung  his  sword,  and 
the  men  rushed  into  their  works.  When  we  entered 
the  works  we  found  Col.  Breyman  dead,  surrounded 
with  a  number  of  his  companions,  dead  or  wounded. 
We  still  pursued  slowly ;  the  fire,  in  the  meantime, 
decreasing.  Nightfall  now  put  an  end  to  this  day's 
bloody  contest.  During  the  day  we  had  taken 


248  Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mat  toon. 

eight  cannon  and  broken  the  centre  of  the  enemy's 
lines. 

We  were  ordered  to  rest  until  relieved  from  the 
camps.  The  gloom  of  the  night,  the  groans  and 
shrieks  of  the  wounded  and  dying,  and  the  horrors 
of  the  whole  scene  baffle  all  description. 

Under  cover  of  this  night  (the  ;th)  the  British  army 
changed  their  position,  so  that  it  became  necessary  to 
reconnoitre  on  the  ground.*  While  Gen.  Lincoln 
was  doing  this  he  was  severely  wounded,  so  that  his 
active  services  were  lost  to  the  army  during  that 
campaign.  A  powerful  rain  commenced  about 
1 1  o'clock,  which  continued  without  abatement  till 
the  morning  of  the  Qth.  In  this  time  information 
had  come  that  Gen.  Burgoyne  had  removed  his 
troops  to  Saratoga.  At  9  o'clock  A.  M.  of  October 
8th  Captain  Furnival  received  orders  to  march  to  the 
river,  to  cross  the  floating  bridge  and  repair  to  the 
fording  place,  opposite  Saratoga,  where  we  arrived 
at  dusk.  There  we  found  Gen.  Bailey,  of  New 

*  During  a  retreat  a  Mr.  Willard,  as  before  stated 
in  the  preface,  residing  near  the  foot  of  a  moun- 
tain, opposite  the  battle  ground,  by  night  would  dis- 
play signals  from  its  top  by  different  lights,  in  such 
manner  as  from  time  to  time  to  give  the  Americans 
the  location  and  movements  of  the  British  army. 
This  mountain  is  plainly  visible  from  Albany  and 
Fort  Edward.  It  has  ever  since  been  known  by  the 
name  of  "  Willard's  mountain."  That  is  certainly 
one  of  the  earliest  systems  of  telegraphing  known 
to  have  been  put  in  practice. 


Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mattoon.  249 

Hampshire,  with  about  900  men,  arranging  a  long 
range  of  fires,  to  indicate  the  presence  of  a  large 
army.  The  British  troops  had  covered  the  opposite 
heights  with  their  fires. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  evening  Col.  Moseley  ar- 
rived with  his  regiment  of  Massachusetts  militia, 
when  our  company  was  directed  by  Gen.  Bailey  to 
make  a  show  of  our  field  pieces  at  the  river.  We 
soon  extinguished  their  lights.  Then  we  were  or- 
dered to  pass  the  Battenkill  river,  and  erect  works 
there  during  the  night.  In  the  morning  we  per- 
ceived a  number  of  officers  on  the  stairs,  and  on  the 
east  side  of  the  house  on  the  hill,  a  little  north  of 
the  Battenkill  river,  apparently  surveying  our  situa- 
tion and  works. 

My  captain  being  sick  at  the  time  I  levelled  our 
guns,  and  with  such  effect  as  to  disperse  them.  We 
took  the  house  to  be  their  headquarters.*  We  con- 

*  This  was  the  house,  an  account  of  which  is  men- 
tioned in  a  previous  note  in  which  Mrs.  Riedesel  was 
stationed. 

In  this  house  was  born  March  15,  1794,  a  lady  who 
died  at  Painted  Post,  N.  Y.,  April  23,  1894.  The 
lady's  name  was  Mrs.  Anna  Patterson  Goodsell 
Smith.  Her  father,  Capt.  Sherman  Patterson,  served 
in  the  Continental  army  under  Gen.  Swift,  participated 
in  the  storming  of  Quebec,  and  was  close  by  Mont- 
gomery's side  when  the  latter  fell  in  that  desperate 
assault.  She  was  twice  married,  the  first  time  at  six- 
teen, and  was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  are  now  living.  There  are  also  living  thirty- 
two  grandchildren  and  fourteen  great  grandchildren. 
32 


250  Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mat  toon. 

tinued  our  fire  till  a  nine  or  twelve  pounder  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  us  and  rendered  our  works  use- 
less. Next  we  were  ordered  to  repair,  in  haste,  to 
Fort  Edward  to  defend  the  fording-place.  Col. 
Moseley's  regiment  accompanied  us.  Some  slight 
works  were  thrown  up  by  us ;  and  while  thus  em- 
ployed, a  number  of  British  officers  appeared  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river.  We  endeavored  to  salute 
them  according  to  their  rank!  They  soon  disappeared. 

During  this  day  (the  loth)  we  captured  fifty  Indians 
and  a  large  number  of  Canadian  tories.  We  re- 
mained at  Fort  Edward  till  the  morning  of  the  I3th. 
Being  then  informed  of  the  armistice  which  had  been 
agreed  upon,  we  were  ordered  to  return  to  our  posi- 
tion upon  the  Battenkill  and  repair  our  works. 
Here  we  remained  till  the  morning  of  the  i7th,  when 
we  received  orders  to  repair  to  Gen.  Gates's  head- 
quarters on  the  west  side  of  the  river. 

As  we  passed  along  we  saw  the  British  army  piling 
(not  stacking)  their  arms ;  the  piles  of  arms  extend- 
ing from  Schuyler's  creek  northward  nearly  to  the 
house  on  the  hill  before  mentioned.  The  range  of 
piles  ran  along  the  ground  west  of  the  road  then 
traveled,  and  east  of  the  canal  as  it  now  runs. 

This  incident  is  here  mentioned  as  illustrating  how 
close  to  the  present  is  the  Revolutionary  period,  as  I 
have  before  remarked  in  a  previous  note.  This 
house  has  often  been  mistaken  for  Burgoyne's  head- 
quarters, a  statement,  also,  I  have  elsewhere  shown 
to  be  incorrect. 


Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mattoon.  251 

Just  below  the  island  we  passed  the  river,  and 
came  to  Gen.  Gates's  marquee,  situated  on  a  level 
piece  of  ground,  from  130  to  150  rods  south  of 
Schuyler's  creek.  A  little  south  and  west  of  this 
there  is  a  rising  ground,  on  which  our  army  was 
posted,  in  order  to  appear  to  the  best  advantage. 
A  part  of  it  was  also  advantageously  drawn  up  upon 
the  east  side  of  the  river.  About  noon,  on  the  i;th, 
Gen.  Burgoyne,  with  a  number  of  his  officers,  rode 
up  near  to  the  marquee,  in  front  of  which  Gen. 
Gates  was  sitting,  attended  with  many  of  his  offi- 
cers. The  sides  of  the  marquee  were  rolled  up,  so 
that  all  that  was  transacted  might  be  seen.  Gen. 
Burgoyne  dismounted  and  approached  Gen.  Gates, 
who  rose  and  stepped  forward  to  meet  him.  Gen. 
Burgoyne  then  delivered  up  his  sword  to  Gen. 
Gates,  who  received  it  in  his  left  hand,  at  the  same 
time  extending  his  right  hand  to  take  the  right 
hand  of  Gen.  Burgoyne.* 

*  GEN.  BURGOYNE'S  SWORD  STILL  TO  BE  SEEN  AT  HAD- 
LEY,  MASS. —  Hadley  claims  notice  in  connection  with 
the  Saratoga  celebration  by  virtue  of  certain  valu- 
able relics  of  Gen.  Burgoyne  and  traditions  of  his  visit. 
After  the  surrender  Burgoyne,  with  other  paroled 
prisoners,  left  Saratoga  for  Boston  to  take  passage 
for  England.  He  was  escorted  by  a  band  of  Ameri- 
can soldiers  under  command  of  Col.  Elisha  Porter, 
of  Hadley  —  a  notable  member  of  a  notable  family 
in  the  early  history  of  the  Connecticut  valley.  The 
successive  heads  of  this  family  have  all  been  more  or 


252  Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mat  toon. 

After  a  few  minutes'  conversation  Gen.  Gates  re- 
turned the  sword  to  Gen.  Burgoyne,  who  received 
it  in  the  most  graceful  and  gentlemanly  manner. 
The  rest  of  Gen.  Burgoyne's  officers  then  delivered 

less  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  town  and  section, 
and  seats  in  the  Legislature  and  other  local  official 
positions  have  been  heir-looms  since  the  time  of 
Samuel  Porter  —  the  first  male  child  born  in  the 
town.  Col.  Porter  was  the  son  of  Eleazar  Porter 
and  brother  of  Judge  Eleazar  Porter,  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolu- 
tion he  raised  a  regiment  and  commanded  it  during 
the  earlier  part  of  the  struggle,  gaining  distinction 
from  his  high  qualities,  both  in  the  field  and  in  the 
councils  of  his  superior  officers.  Autograph  letters 
from  Washington  and  other  famous  men  are  still 
treasured  by  his  descendants.  To  him  was  assigned 
the  task  of  piloting  Burgoyne  through  the  mountain 
wilderness  lying  between  the  battle  field  and  the  sea, 
and  on  arriving  at  Hadley  he  entertained  the  distin- 
guished captive  in  his  own  mansion.  This  house 
is  one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  old  colonial  archi- 
tecture to  be  found,  and  bears  its  164  years  more 
lightly  than  many  of  its  contemporaries.  The  room 
occupied  by  Gen.  Burgoyne  during  the  night  is  a  spa- 
cious and  elegant  apartment  on  the  lower  floor, 
looking  out  upon  the  expanse  of  the  beautiful  West 
street,  and  shadowed  by  majestic  elms.  So  much 
was  Burgoyne  impressed  by  the  kindness  of  his  gen- 
erous foe  that,  on  departing,  he  presented  Col.  Porter 
with  his  dress  sword,  which  Gen.  Gates  had  permit- 
ted him  to  retain,  and  also  left  his  camp  bedstead  and 
the  poles  of  his  tent.  The  bedstead  has,  through 


Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mattoon.  253 

up  their  swords,  and  had  them  restored  to  them  like- 
wise. They  then  all  repaired  to  the  table  and  were 
seated ;  and  while  dining,  the  prisoners  were  pass- 
ing by. 

some  unknown  chance,  disappeared,  but  the  remain- 
ing articles  are  preserved  and  exhibited  with  pride 
to  curious  visitors.  The  sword  is  one  of  the  slender, 
triangular  rapiers  which  were  indispensable  features 
in  the  dress  of  a  gentleman  of  that  day,  but  this  is 
of  the  elegant  order  befitting  the  dignity  of  an  offi- 
cer of  high  rank  in  his  majesty's  army.  The  hilt  is 
of  solid  silver,  and  the  guard  is  constructed  in  elabo- 
rate designs.  The  entire  length  of  the  blade  is 
inlaid  with  gold  filagree  work,  and  on  the  sides  of 
the  base,  near  the  hilt,  are  traced  in  the  same  metal 
G.  R. —  Georgius  Rex  —  and  the  arms  of  the  British 
kingdom.  The  numerous  hacks  and  dents  on  the 
sword's  edge  show  that  it  was  not  merely  a  holiday 
decoration.  The  point  has  been  broken  off,  and  pos- 
sibly remains  rusting  in  the  scabbard,  which  is  of 
finest  leather,  ornamented  with  silver.  The  tent- 
poles  are  of  light  yet  strong  wood,  and  are  supplied 
with  joints,  hooks  and  staples.  A  curious  piece  of 
frame  work,  consisting  of  four  flat  sticks  united  at 
one  end  to  an  iron  spike,  and  joined  near  the  other, 
is  supposed  to  have  served  as  a  support  to  a  canopy 
overhanging  the  general's  head.  Col.  Porter's  diary, 
which  he  kept  with  great  minuteness  for  many  years, 
closes  abruptly  at  the  end  of  the  year  1776,  and 
thus  the  only  knowledge  of  the  history  of  these  in- 
teresting relics  depends  upon  family  tradition. — 
Springfield  Republican,  August  20,  1886. 


254  Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mat  toon. 

After  they  had  all  passed  by  a  number  of  us  went 
in  search  of  a  gun  which  was  upon  a  carriage  the 
day  previous  to  the  1 7th,  near  what  was  called  the 
Hessian  burying  ground.  But  the  tracks  of  the  car- 
riage were  so  confused,  and  the  stench  from  the  dead 
bodies  was  so  offensive,  that  the  search  was  discon- 
tinued.* 

*  In  speaking  of  the  surrender,  Benjamin  Mooers, 
a  participant  in  the  battle,  in  his  diary  says  :  "  The 
surrender  of  Gen.  Burgoyne's  sword  and  his  army  is 
worth  recording  here,  for  it  was  a  grand  defeat  to  the 
enemy.  The  soldiers  were  drawn  up  in  line  on  each 
side,  red  coats  on  one,  and  blue  and  buff  Continen- 
tals on  the  other  [see  "  Revolutionary  Letters  "  for 
a  fuller  account  of  this].  I  must  say  that  of  all  the 
brave  fighters  I  ever  saw  Gen.  Arnold  was  the  best. 
The  odds  being  so  great  against  him  in  the  battle  of 
Bemis's  Heights  he  remained  undaunted,  and  until 
his  horse  fell  with  him,  crushing  his  leg  so  that  he 
had  to  be  borne  off  from  the  field,  he  rushed  like  a 
wild  man  wherever  the  battle  was  the  hottest.  I 
would  have  liked  to  have  heard  the  words  used  at 
the  surrender,  but  could  not,  and  had  to  be  satisfied 
with  seeing  Burgoyne's  sword  given  up.  One  part 
of  the  prisoners  was  sent  south,  the  others  eastward 
to  the  barracks  built  in  1775-76  for  our  troops  near 
Boston.  They  were  under  a  guard  of  militia  men, 
to  which  the  company  I  belonged  was  annexed,  and 
the  entire  guard  and  prisoners  were  placed  under 
the  command  of  our  captain,  Gen.  Bricket."  All  the 
same,  however,  Gen.  Glover,  of  Marblehead,  was  the 
gentleman  under  whom  the  Convention  troops  were 
escorted  to  Boston  and  Worcester,  Mass. 


Visit  of  Ebenezer  Mattoon.  255 

Thus  I  have  replied  to  your  inquiries,  as  far  as  my 
recollection  extends.  I  should  be  very  happy  to 
meet  you  and  spend  a  day  or  two  in  walking  over 
the  battle  ground,  and  entering  into  other  particulars 
concerning  that  engagement,  which,  however,  are  of 
minor  importance. 

With  much  esteem, 

E.  MATTOON. 


VISIT  OF  SIR  JOHN  BURGOYNE'S   GRAND- 
DAUGHTER TO  THE  BATTLE  FIELD 
OF   SARATOGA  IN  1879. 


"  Rev.  James  L.  Spurgeon,  brother  of  the  famous 
preacher  of  England,  with  his  wife,  arrived  at  Sara- 
toga, Tuesday.  Mrs.  Spurgeon  is  a  granddaughter 
of  Burgoyne,  who  capitulated  at  Saratoga  in  1777, 
and  one  object  of  their  visit  to  Saratoga  was  to  see 
the  historic  battle  ground.  Wednesday  they  went 
over  it,  having  the  good  fortune  to  be  accompanied 
by  Mr.  William  L.  Stone,  the  historian  of  the  Bur- 
goyne campaign,  who  was  staying  at  Saratoga.  Mrs. 
Spurgeon  is  the  daughter  of  Sir  John  Burgoyne,  dis- 
tinguished in  the  Crimean  war  and  a  son  of  him 
who  surrendered  to  our  arms  a  hundred  years  ago. 
She  was  greatly  pleased  with  her  visit  to  the  scene 
of  her  ancestor's  famous  battle,  and  carried  away 
with  her  as  a  memento  of  the  place  an  Indian  arrow 
head,  found  by  Mr.  Stone  near  the  spot  where  Gen. 
Burgoyne  received  three  bullets,  two  of  them  enter- 
ing his  hat  and  one  piercing  his  waistcoat.  Mr. 
Stone  also  presented  her  with  a  copy  of  his  interest- 
ing and  complete  monograph  on  the  Burgoyne  cam- 
paign. Extract  from  the  Saratoga  Journal,  Septem- 
ber, 1879. 


. 


GEN.  J.  WATTS  DE  PEYSTER'S  VISIT  IN  1880. 


Gen.  de  Peyster  set  out  from  Tivoli,  Dutchess 
County,  N.  Y.,  in  August,  1880,  in  his  carriage,  to 
visit  Saratoga  Springs  and  the  battle  grounds.  After 
leaving  that  village  he  continues  as  follows  : 

*  *  *  After  crossing  the  long  toll-bridge  over 
Saratoga  Lake,  where  it  begins  to  contract,  the  coun- 
try becomes  very  tame  until,  reaching  the  summit  at 
Bemis's  Heights,  whence  it  descends  into  the  luxu- 
riant valley  of  the  Hudson.  Between  the  lake  and 
the  river,  the  road  through  Ketchum's  Corners  is,  in 
some  places,  little  better  than  a  track  through  the 
woods,  which  is  rather  surprising  for  a  route  through 
so  old  a  country.  Just  as  you  commence  to  descend 
to  the  river,  an  old  willow  tree  in  an  open  field  indi- 
cates the  site  of  the  headquarters  of  Gates  and  the 
American  hospitals  during  the  series  of  battles  which 
has  rendered  this  district  memorable  forever. 

The  battle  ground  proper  is  some  two  miles  to  the 
north-north-west,  and  the  conflict  raged  upon  and 
around  a  property  then  known  as  Freeman's  Farm, 
near  the  dwelling  still  owned  by  a  proprietor  of  the 
same  name. 

All  the  titles  given  to  these  battles,  Stillwater, 
Bemis's  Heights,  Saratoga,  etc.,  except  Freeman's 
33 


/•  Watts  de  Peyster's   Visit. 

Farm,  are  misnomers.  The  fluctuations  of  the  con- 
test never  flowed  as  far  south  as  Bemis's  Heights. 
There  Gates,  as  stated,  had  his  headquarters,  and 
below  these,  to  the  east  by  south,  was  his  bridge  of 
boats  across  the  Hudson,  to  which,  it  is  said,  he 
cast  an  anxious  eye  while  Eraser  was  trying  to  turn 
his  left,  and  Arnold  and  Morgan  were  arresting 
Eraser  on  the  yth  October.  He  even,  for  several 
of  the  ensuing  days,  threw  glances  over  his  right 
shoulder  towards  that  bridge  where  Clinton,  having 
captured  the  key  of  the  Highlands,  could,  by  any  dis- 
play of  energy,  have  appeared  in  the  American  rear 
by  the  Qth,  to  co-operate  with  Burgoyne,  who  was 
anxious  to  offer  battle  again  to  Gates  on  the  8th 
October,  1777. 

The  Marquis  de  Chastellux,  who  visited  the  scenes 
of  the  fighting  in  1 780,  three  years  after  they  oc- 
curred—  although  piloted  by  those  perfectly  con- 
versant with  the  locality  —  stated  that  it  was  very 
difficult  to  recognize  the  different  points  of  interest 
even  at  that  recent  date.  The  country,  it  is  true, 
was  all  covered  with  woods,  but  then  the  woods  were 
still  exactly  the  same  as  when  Burgoyne  and  Balcar- 
ras,  Riedesel  and  Breyman,  Eraser  and  Acland  en- 
countered Arnold,  who  was  the  hero  of  both  days, 
1 9th  September  and  7th  October,  for  which  Gates 
got  the  credit. 

The  British  officer,  in  whom  centres  the  interest  of 
the  7th  October  battle,  was  Eraser.  Bancroft,  who 
seems  to  have  no  sympathy  with  magnanimity  of 


J.  Watts  de  Peysters   Visit.  259 

spirit,  indulges  in  a  word-flourish  of  triumph  over  the 
fall  of  this  brave  Scotchman,  which,  in  its  cold- 
blooded exultation,  is  not  manly.  It  is  sad  to  think 
that  Fraser  did  not  fall  in  fair  fight,  but  was  picked 
off  by  a  rifleman  especially  detailed  by  Morgan  for 
the  murderous  purpose.  Such  a  homicide  is  con- 
sidered all  fair  in  war,  but  to  say  the  least  of  it,  it  is 
savagery. 

The  aide-de-camp  into  whose  arms  Fraser  fell  from 
his  horse  when  mortally  wounded  was  Capt.  Bibby, 
who  afterward  married  a  rich  lady  of  New  York,  a 
relation  of  the  writer's  ancestors,  and  settled  in  that 
city.  He  was  the  head  of  a  family  who  were  remark- 
able for  their  musical  gifts  inherited  from  their 
common  ancestor.  He  was  a  noted  performer  on  the 
violin,  as  well  as  a  vocalist.  To  such  an  extent  was 
he  proficient  that  it  is  especially  alluded  to  in  the 
records  of  the  Convention  troops,  held  prisoners  for 
so  many  dreary  years  by  Congress,  in  violation  of 
the  articles  of  their  surrender. 

From  the  location  of  Gates's  headquarters  the 
road  follows  the  line  of  the  Whitehall  canal  along 
the  western  bank  of  the  Hudson  some  ten  miles  to 
Schuylerville,  the  scene  of  Burgoyne's  surrender, 
the  "  Field  of  the  Grounded  Arms."  The  Hudson 
is  a  noble  stream  between  Stillwater  and  the  town 
above  mentioned,  flowing  calm,  and  full  some  thou- 
sand feet  across  for  nearly  twenty  miles  from  Still- 
water  to  Fort  Miller.  The  former  place  takes  its 
name  from  this  long  extent  of  still-water,  uninter- 


260  J.  Watts  de  Peysters   Visit. 

rupted  by  rapids  —  one  noble  sheet  unobstructed  for 
nearly  thirteen  miles  by  islands  or  any  other  obstacle. 
If  such  it  is,  over  150  miles  from  its  mouth,  it  is  no 
wonder  that  the  Aborigines  and  original  settlers 
recognized  it  as  uthe  Great  River  of  the  North,"  or 
"  the  Great  River  of  the  Mountains,"  for  it  issues 
from  the  Adirondacks,  flows  in  sight  of  the  Green 
Mountains,  and  cleaves  its  way  through  two  succes- 
sive chains,  the  Catskills  and  Taghkames  at  the 
Highlands  before  it  enlarges  itself  into  the  broad 
expanse  of  Haverstraw  Bay  and  Tappan  Zee  on  its 
way  to  the  ocean. 

From  Bemis's  Heights,  where  the  road  from  Sara- 
toga Springs  across  the  lake —  (Saratoga  Lake  is  still 
famous  for  its  crisp  fried  potatoes,  sold  in  paper  cor- 
nucopiae  like  candy,  and  Moon  is  still  the  provider, 
par  excellence,  of  that  dainty)  —  strikes  the  point  near 
the  river  at  the  remotest  verge  which  vibrated  to  the 
effects  of  the  battle,  to  Schuylerville  is  about  ten 
miles.  This  distance  the  route  continues  northward 
upon  the  alluvial  flat  along  the  Hudson  —  herein 
summer  from  1-6  to  1-5  of  a  mile  wide.  The  expanse 
of%  the  Hudson  is  unbroken  by  island  for  nearly  thir- 
teen miles.  The  first  island  in  the  distance  is  just 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Fishkill,  by  which  it  is  over- 
flowed whenever  freshets  occur.  To  the  left  and 
west,  driving  north,  is  the  elevated  plateau,  so  styled, 
on  which  all  the  manoeuvring  and  fighting  were  done. 
Although  called  a  plateau  it  is  not  so  by  any  means. 
The  ground  is  a  succession  of  rolls,  separated  by 


J.  Watts  de  Peysters  Visit.  261 

ravines,  once  the  beds  of  considerable  brooks.  How 
troops,  in  regular  formation,  traversed  this  broken 
country  when  it  was  almost  entirely  covered  by 
forests  is  very  hard  to  understand.  It  was  just  the 
place  for  riflemen  to  "  bushwhack  on  a  big  scale," 
and  Morgan's  riflemen  had  more  to  do  with  winning 
the  victories  than  any  other  quantity  in  the  equation, 
except  the  valor  and  example  of  Arnold.  Why  Bur- 
goyne  did  not  follow  the  river  road,  laid  out  almost 
as  at  present  and  much  traveled  in  1777,  is  incom- 
prehensible, unless  it  is  true,  Fata  obstant,  "  The 
fates  are  opposed,"  "  The  fates  lead  him  who  is  will- 
ing and  drag  him  who  is  unwilling."  He  might  have 
directed  a  strong  column  along  the  crest  above,  but 
his  main  body  could  have  followed  the  river  road. 
Riedesel  did  avail  himself  of  it  at  first,  but  he  soon 
had  to  leave  it  and  wheel  to  the  right  to  conform  to 
Burgoyne's  own  movements  and  save  his  superior,  on 
the  i  Qth  of  September,  from  premature  defeat. 

By  the  way,  the  battle  did  not  take  place  in  the 
township  of  Saratoga,  but  of  Stillwater,  which  is, 
perhaps,  the  reason  why  the  latter  name  is  sometimes 
applied  to  it.  The  battle  ground,  as  laid  down  on 
the  map,  is  an  irregular,  oblong  area,  north-east  to 
south-west,  about  two  miles  north-north-west  of  the 
present  Bemis's  Heights  post-office.  Signboards,  set 
up  either  by  private  or  public  enterprise,  indicate  a 
great  many  of  the  most  interesting  spots. 

About  three  miles  below  Schuylerville,  at  Cove- 
ville,  is  the  curious,  semi-circular  indentation  of  the 


262  J.  Watts  de  Peysters   Visit. 

river  called  the  Do-ve-gat,  Dov-gat,  or  Dovegate,  the 
significance  of  which  puzzled  a  great  many  writers 
on  the  affairs  of  1777.  The  writer  believes  he  is  the 
first  one  that  translated  it  properly.  Its  meaning  is 
equivalent  to  the  term  known  among  streets  as  a 
"blind-alley."  From  the  river  it  looks  like  an  arm 
of  the  stream  running  round  an  island,  whereas  it  is 
merely  a  deep  cove  of  very  eccentric  disposition. 
Doubtless,  centuries  ago,  it  was  a  side-channel,  gradu- 
ally filled  at  the  upper  entrance  by  deposits  brought 
down  by  the  river. 

Burgoyne  delivered  up  his  sword  to  Gates  on  a 
little  level  spot  overlooking  the  river  road,  about  a 
mile  south  of  Schuylerville,  and  the  British  laid  down 
their  arms  about  the  site  of  old  Fort  Hardy,  just 
north  of  the  Fishkill  and  east  of  Schuylerville,  across 
the  stream  from  Schuyler's  mansion,  which  Burgoyne 
burned,  after  his  last  carouse  in  it  the  previous  night. 
That  Burgoyne  spent  the  very  hours  which  afforded 
him  his  last  opportunities  for  escape  enjoying  "a 
dainty  supper"  with  "some  merry  companions,"  and 
near  him  his  mistress,  the  wife  of  an  English  com- 
missary, was  not  generally  known  until  Wm.  L.  Stone 
translated  from  German  into  English  the  Memoirs 
of  the  Baroness  Riedesel ;  then  other  testimony  to 
much  the  same  effect  has  been  published.  Without 
considering  the  matter  from  a  moral  standpoint,  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  conceive  how  a  general  in  the 
circumstances  of  Burgoyne,  with  such  a  responsi- 
bility upon  his  soul,  could  have  been  so  dead  to  the 


y.   Wat  Is  de  Peysters  Visit.  263 

sufferings  of  his  inferiors  and  his  duties  to  his  king. 
Perhaps  there  was  some  excuse  in  the  sensual  indulg- 
ences tolerated  at  the  time.  Lossing  tells  us  that 
Burgoyne  passed  the  night  prior  to  his  last  battle  on 
the  7th  of  October,  passing  the  flagon  or  playing 
cards  with  the  Earl  of  Balcarras  (Lossing,  F.  B.  A. 
R.,  I.  44).  Generals,  in  those  days,  with  rare  excep- 
tions, seemed  to  think  that  pretty  much  their  whole 
duty  was  confined  to  brilliancy  and  bravery  on  the 
battlefield  proper. 

This  is  no  place  to  fight  the  battle  over  again,  and, 
therefore,  with  these  remarks,  the  attention  of  the 
reader  is  directed  to  the  site  of  the  Saratoga  Battle- 
field Monument  and  the  structure  itself.  Schuyler- 
ville,  originally  Saratoga  or  Saratog,  lies  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Fishkill,  which,  with  devious  course,  con- 
stitutes the  outlet  of  Saratoga  Lake,  issuing  from 
the  lower,  or  north  end.  The  high  ridge,  rising 
southward  from  this  stream  and  extending  on  in  the 
same  direction  for  many  miles,  attains  its  highest  ele- 
vation about  a  mile  south  of  the  village.  There,  an 
extensive  cemetery  has  been  laid  out.  It  already  con- 
tains many  expensive  memorials.  Just  east  of  this, 
villageward,  the  site  was  purchased  for  the  Saratoga 
Monument.  An  acre  has  been  paid  for  and  actu- 
ally deeded,  totally  inadequate,  although  a  contract 
has  been  entered  into  for  three  acres. 

The  original  foundation,  in  which  the  corner  stone 
was  placed  in  1877,  at  the  centennial  celebration  of 
the  surrender,  having  been  condemned  by  the  archi- 


264  J.  Watts  de  Peysters   Visit. 

tect,  J.  C.  Markham,  of  Jersey  City,  a  new  founda- 
tion is  now  being  laid,  just  west  of  the  first.  The 
material  is  of  the  hard  limestone  quarried  at  Glens 
Falls.  The  superstructure  is  to  be  of  granite.  It 
will  be  154  feet  high,  and  from  the  summit  a  visitor 
will  command  a  view  of  the  whole  country  upon 
which  the  contending  armies  operated,  manoeuvred 
and  fought,  and  also  of  the  spot  where  the  British 
surrendered. 

Mr.  Markham's  original  plan  was  much  more  elab- 
orate or  ornate,  but  the  parsimony  of  the  General 
and  State  Governments  compelled  modifications 
which  are  to  be  sincerely  regretted.  Cannon, 
trophies  of  the  victories  of  1777,  mounted  on  fac- 
similes of  the  orignal  carriages,  are  to  stand  at  each 
corner  of  the  platform,  and,  in  the  various  cham- 
bers of  the  obelisk,  it  is  hoped  that  memorials  will 
be  collected  and  exhibited.  In  the  wall  of  one  of 
these  little  museums  a  tablet  is  to  be  inserted,  in- 
scribed with  the  names  of  those  who  came  forward 
with  their  money,  to  save  the  site,  which  had  been 
sold  under  foreclosure,  and  thus  secure  the  appropri- 
ation of  Congress,  whose  payment  was  made  on  the 
proviso  that  the  Association  had  obtained  the  abso- 
lute possession  of  the  site. 

Perhaps,  after  all,  on  the  whole,  this  is  the  best 
location  for  the  monument,  on  account  of  the  com- 
prehensiveness of  the  view  which  it  commands,  taking 
in,  as  it  does,  the  whole  area  of  the  important  action. 
Renan  justly  observes  that  "  those  who  are  incapable 


J.   Watts  de  Peysters  Visit.  265 

of  becoming  great  citizens  (were,  in  fact,  destructive 
agents),  nevertheless,  did  their  part  toward  progress 
(as  instruments  of  fate),  and  were  deeper  than  sen- 
sible people  in  their  insight  into  the  secrets  of  des- 
tiny" (Ante-Christ,  544).  Honest  judgment  would 
doubtless  have  selected  as  the  site  of  this  monument 
the  very  spot  —  a  beautiful  one  —  where  Burgoyne 
actually  gave  up  his  sword,  or  the  great  redoubt, 
whose  capture,  through  the  audacity  of  Arnold,  de- 
termined the  result  of  the  fighting.  Interested 
motives,  regarding  the  benefits  that  Schuylerville 
might  derive  from  a  constant  pilgrimage  to  such  a 
shrine,  doubtless  determined  the  position.  The  re- 
sult may  be  happy,  but  the  towering  obelisk  will 
stand  on  a  location  which  has  no  claims  to  the  honor, 
and  in  itself  possesses  no  historic  interest.* 

In  the  pediment,  or  whatever  the  architects  style 
it,  before  the  shaft  or  main  body  of  the  obelisk 
starts,  are  four  niches  for  statues,  one  on  each  side. 
Three  of  these  effigies  are  decided  on.  Schuyler, 
justly  and  undoubtedly,  first ;  Gates,  necessarily 
but  undeservedly,  second  ;  and  Morgan,  third.  The 
fourth  is  still  undetermined.  The  architect  desires 
that  the  void  shall  be  filled  with  Arnold.  He  is  hon- 
estly and  mainly  correct.  When  Arnold  won  the 

*  Gen.  de  Peyster,  usually  so  accurate  in  his  state- 
ments, is  here  in  error.     The  monument  marks  the 
very  spot  on  which  the  chief  portion  of  Burgoyne's 
beleaguered  army  were  encamped. 
34 


266  J.  Watts  de  Peysters   Visit. 

battles  of  Saratoga,  the  first,  igth  of  September,  and 
the  second,  ;th  of  October,  in  favor  of  the  revolted 
Colonies,  he  was  as  faithful  a  servant  of  Congress  as  it 
had.  His  treason  was  all  along  subsequent  to  these 
events,  and  it  is  but  just  to  say  that  the  injustice  of 
Congress  had  as  much  to  do  with  making  him  a 
traitor  as  his  own  passions,  stimulated  by  one  very 
near  to  him.  "  It  needs  must  be  that  offenses  come," 
said  Christ,  the  great  philosopher,  humanly  speaking, 
"but  woe  be  to  that  man  by  whom  the  offense 
cometh."  This  applies  forcibly  to  Congress.  It  was 
very  little  ;  it  was  mean  ;  it  was  very  unjust.  It  was 
the  most  unjust  to  the  least  deserving  of  such  treat- 
ment, to  Schuyler,  to  Starke,  and  as  yet  in  1777,  to 
Arnold.  But  there  is  no  need  of  any  defense  of 
Arnold  here.  His  defense  has  been  well  made  and 
himself  vindicated  by  his  namesake,  Hon.  Isaac  N. 
Arnold,  President  of  the  Chicago,  Illinois,  Historical 
Society.  Still,  if  it  is  settled  that  Arnold  is  not  to 
be  admitted  to  his  appropriate  place,  who  is  to  fill  it  ? 
None  other  than  he  is  deserving  to  be  associated 
with  the  three  already  selected.  No  lesser  man  has 
a  right  to  appear  in  their  company  or  occupy  the 
fourth  niche.  Let  it  then  remain  vacant.  The 
vacancy  will  speak  more  eloquently  than  words. 
Every  one  will  ask  why  the  void  is  there  ?  The 
answer  covers  the  whole  ground  and  explains  every- 
thing. The  statue  of  Arnold  belongs  by  right  in 
the  unassigned  niche ;  Americans  claim  that  he  was 
a  traitor.  Therefore,  his  statue  cannot  be  set  up  in 


J.   Watts  de  Peysters   Visit.  267 

it.  Still,  as  he  deserves  the  place  and  no  other  can 
adequately  serve  as  his  substitute,  it  is  left  as  it  is 
without  a  figure,  to  indicate  that  the  Association  is 
just ;  and  while  admitting  the  full  value  of  Arnold's 
services,  and  while  deciding  that  no  other  can  com- 
mensurately  occupy  the  position  due  to  him,  it  resolves 
that  the  niche  his  statue  should  fill  shall  remain  void 
in  the  same  manner  that  there  is  a  veiled  and  empty 
frame  among  the  series  of  portraits  of  the  Venetian 
Doges.  This  should  have  been  filled  with  the  por- 
trait of  Mariano  Faliero.  Others  state  that  the 
space  for  the  painting  is  simply  empty,  with  an  in- 
scription instead,  setting  forth  the  reason.  There  is 
a  somewhat  similar  inscription  at  Genoa,  or  in  some 
other  old  Italian  republican  capital,  which  the  writer 
observed  without  noting  the  place.  The  most  perti- 
nent instance,  however,  is  that  of  Marmont,  Duke 
of  Ragusa,  accused.,  unjustly,  of  betraying  Napoleon 
in  1814,  whose  portrait  was  omitted  from  the  series 

of  French  marshals. 

###•*# 

After  the  termination  of  the  "  Slaveholder's  Rebel- 
lion" a  dinner  was  given  at  Saratoga  Springs  by  a 
prominent  political  official,  who,  after  the  wine  cup 
had  circulated  freely,  rose  and  proposed  a  health  or 
sentiment,  which  a  witty  guest  pronounced  the  most 
"moving  toast"  he  had  ever  heard.  It  was  this: 
"  Here's  to  Gen.  Rawlins ;  if  there  had  never  been  a 
Rawlins  there  would  never  have  been  a  Grant." 
Gen.  -  —  said  he  called  this  a  "  moving  toast "  be- 


268  J.  Watts  de  Peyster's   Visit. 

cause  it  occasioned  a  general  movement  to  get  away 
from  the  table  and  proximity  to  such  a  dangerous 
speaker  as  soon  as  possible,  for  fear  Grant,  (who  was 
then  President)  might  not  regard  the  sentiment  affec- 
tionately, and  "spot"  those  who  were  present  and 
endorsed  it  by  drinking  it. 

Justly,  a  similar  idea  might  find  expression  in  re- 
gard to  this  monument.  If  there  never  had  been  a 
William  L.  Stone  there  never  would  have  been  a 
"  Saratoga  Battlefield  Monument."  This  gentleman, 
one  of  the  clearest  historians  of  the  Burgoyne  cam- 
paign, is  not  only  an  able  historian  himself,  but 
shines  with  the  inherited  lustre  of  his  father  and 
namesake,  author  of  several  valuable  works  con- 
nected with  revolutionary  and  ante-revolutionary  his- 
tory. If  it  had  not  been  for  his  son's  energy 
Schuylerville  would  not  be  honored  with  a  grand 
memorial  of  the  decisive  triumph  of  the  American 
First  War  for  Independance. 

Before  quitting  Schuylerville  there  are  two  objects 
of  interest  which  cannot  be  passed  over  without 
special  notice.  Down  on  the  flat,  in  the  angle  be- 
tween the  mouth  of  the  Fishkill  and  the  Hudson 
River,  stands  the  mansion  of  Maj.-Gen.  Philip 
Schuyler,  which  he  rebuilt  in  sixty  days  —  Stone  says 
fifteen  —  after  the  Burgoyne  surrender,  to  replace 
the  dwelling  which  had  been  burned  by  order  of 
the  British  general.  Some  forty  years  ago  the  de- 
scendant and  representative  of  a  patriot  second  in 
common  sense  and  ability  to  Washington  alone  — 


J.  Watts  de  Peyster's   Visit.  269 

this  is  high  praise,  because  he  was  a  bitter  enemy  of 
the  writer's  people  and  one  of  the  chief  causes  of 
their  ruin  —  was  compelled  to  sacrifice  the  ancestral 
homestead  and  with  it  a  tract  of  2,503  acres  extend- 
ing up  and  along  the  Fishkill,  and  embracing  within 
its  limits  a  succession  for  a  mile  of  falls  and  rapids, 
which  now  supply  water-power  to  the  mills  or  facto- 
ries which  constitute  the  wealth  of  the  village.  Facts 
are  often  stranger  than  fiction.  Fate  decreed  that 
this  ancestral  homestead  should  become  the  property, 
by  purchase,  of  an  individual  who  had  been  the 
coachman  of  the  hereditary  owner  and  had  become 
comparatively  wealthy.  If  there  is  a  book  that 
abounds  in  common  sense  and  is  true  to  nature,  it  is 
the  Bible,  and,  if  the  incident  above  related  is  actu- 
ally so,  does  it  not  realize  the  sad  remark  of  Solomon 
in  Ecclesiastes  x.,  7,  "  I  have  seen  servants  upon 
horses  and  princes  walking  as  servants  upon  the 
earth." 

On  a  projecting  rock,  not  far  distant,  stands  a  very 
artistic  stone  church  looking  down  upon  the  pine- 
embowered  old  Schuyler  mansion.  From  the  eligi- 
bility and  prominence  of  the  site  and  the  large  gilt 
cross  which  crowns  the  spire,  the  majority  decided 
that  it  must  be  a  Roman  Catholic  place  of  worship, 
because  Romanism,  from  interested  motives,  if  no 
others,  always  selects  the  most  conspicuous  position 
for  its  edifices.  It  is  moved  thereunto  by  that  asser- 
tiveness  which  would  arrogate  to  itself  the  preemi- 
nence in  everything,  whereas  it  only  has  eminence  in 


270  J.   Watts  de  Peyster's  Visit. 

one  thing,  its  power  over  ignorance,  to  use  it  for  its 
own  purposes.  It  is  the  biggest  property-accumulating 
machine  in  the  world.  It  grasps  the  babe  while  in 
process  of  being  born,  and  never  relaxes  its  hold,  not 
even  with  death,  for  it  accompanies  the  corpse  to  the 
grave,  always  making  money  out  of  it,  and  out  of 
the  survivors  if  they  continue  to  take  interest  in  the 
future  of  the  deceased. 

The  Episcopal  Church,  of  dark,  blue-gray  lime- 
stone, the  ruling  stone  of  this  region,  is  very  effect- 
ive in  mass,  and  without  pretending  to  any  knowledge 
of  architecture,  we  agreed  that  few  buildings  more 
than  this  seem  to  realize  the  beneficial  influences. 

From  Schuylerville,  through  Grangerville,  to  Sara- 
toga Springs  is  a  thirteen  miles  ride.  At  Grangerville 
they  were  rebuilding  a  dam.  In  Dutchess  County 
such  a  structure  would  have  been  considered  a  profli- 
gate waste  of  materials.  The  upright  timbers 
proper  were  enormous,  and  in  place  of  the  ordinary 
horizontal  planking,  timbers  were  used  of  dimensions 
sufficient  for  heavy  house  beams.  The  explanation 
must  either  be  that  lumber  is  cheap  in  this  region,  or 
else  that  future  durability  is  the  sole  object  without 
regard  to  present  expense. 

From  this  point,  on  westward,  the  country  seems  to 
be  exceedingly  poor,  and  there  are  no  signs  of  the 
prosperity  evident  more  immediately  along  the  river. 
For  instance,  the  fences  were  either  not  kept  up  at 
all  or  very  dilapidated.  Sometimes,  for  long  spaces, 
they  were  constructed  of  roots,  a  pretty  sure  sign  of 


J.  Watts  de  Peyster's   Visit.  271 

a  country  recently  cleared ;  an  idea  borne  out  by  see- 
ing crops  of  winter  grain  sown  in  fields  thickly 
studded  with  stumps.  Nevertheless  the  cornstalks 
were  very  tall,  the  buckwheat,  already  in  shock,  the 
finest  we  had  ever  seen,  and  potatoes  very  abundant. 
Our  party  were  boasting  of  the  fruit-growing  proper- 
ties of  our  own  and  the  adjoining  townships  in 
Dutchess  and  Columbia  Counties,  when  our  driver 
broke  in  with  the  remark  that  Saratoga  County  was 
very  productive  of  fruit.  We  were  surprised,  having 
seen  few  orchards  and  little  evidence  of  fruit-growing 
communities.  "What  kind?"  "That  kind,  there," 
pointing  to  a  huge  heap  of  potatoes.  Yes,  Saratoga 
County,  indeed,  is  famous  for  its  potatoes  ;  its  light, 
sandy  soil  is  adapted  to  them. 

Few  fine  groves  or  woods  were  noticed.  Almost 
all  the  trees  in  these  spindle.  The  only  verdure  is 
at  the  top,  like  the  tuft  at  the  end  of  a  shaggy  dog's 
tail  when  the  rest  has  been  sheared.  These  remarks 
do  not  apply  to  the  growth  along  the  river.  Within 
a  short  distance  of  the  Hudson  everything  is  luxu- 
riant, and  in  the  interior  we  were  struck  here  and 
there  with  single,  noble  specimens  of  willows  and  of 
elms  worthy  of  New  England. 

Right  glad  were  we,  as  night  closed  in,  to  get  back 
to  the  United  States  Hotel  at  Saratoga  Springs. 
The  last  ten  miles  of  our  drive  had  been  exceedingly 
tedious.  We  had  been  nine  hours  on  the  road,  and 
our  route  described  something  like  an  equilateral  tri- 
angle, of  which  the  Hudson  river  constituted  the 


272  J.  Waits  de  Peyster's   Visit. 

base.  "  Jordan  must  have  been  a  hard  road  to  travel," 
when  Burgoyne  plunged  into  this  wilderness,  104 
years  ago.  The  roads  are  heavy,  as  a  rule,  not  sel- 
dom rough,  and  difficult  even  to-day,  with  stumps  left 
sometimes  in  dangerous  proximity  to  the  wheels. 
What  must  they  have  been  when  the  district  was 
sparsely  populated,  when  the  bottoms  were  marshy 
and  so  large  a  portion  of  it  was  covered  with  dense 
forests?  It  is  true  that  we  saw  everything  under 
great  disadvantages.  A  drought  had  prevailed 
for  over  two  months,  and  much  of  the  foliage  was 
turned  as  if  by  a  frost,  and,  again,  when  not  discol- 
ored, shriveled  by  the  excessive  heat,  unredeemed  by 
moisture.  Again,  the  distant  landscape  appeared  to 
be  shrouded  in  fog  and  the  sky  obscured.  Our  driver 
told  us  that  this  was  attributable  to  smoke  from  enor- 
mous fires  in  the  forests  on  the  nearest  mountains. 
The  view  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  souther- 
most  spurs  or  tiers  of  the  Adirondacks,  of  which  the 
higher  ranges  were  entirely  hidden.  The  effects  of 
the  smoke  were  plainly  visible  to  the  eye  and  appa- 
rently, in  degree,  to  the  sense  of  smell. 

Perhaps  under  a  clear  sky  and  on  a  bright,  sunny 
day,  after  refreshing  rains  —  for  water  is  the  life 
given  to  every  vegetable  growth  —  Saratoga  County 
may  present  a  much  more  inviting  and  cheerful 
aspect,  even  to  one  whose  house  is  upon  the  Hudson, 
and  in  full  sight  of  the  glorious  Kaatskills.* 

*  With  this  account,  by  Gen.  de  Peyster,  the  most 
interesting  visits  to  the  battle  grounds  close.  It 


J.  Watts  de  Peysters  Visit.  273 

would  be  easy  to  mention  those  of  others  more  or 
less  known.  Enough,  however,  has  been  given  to 
show  the  great  interest  that  the  site  on  which  one  of 
the  "  thirteen  decisive  battles  of  the  world,  from 
Marathon  to  Waterloo,"  has  always  excited  in  the 
breasts  of  travelers,  great  thinkers,  statesmen  and 
scholars.  The  following  extract,  however,  from  the 
Schuylerville  Standard  of  October  14,  1885,  is  in 
point :  "  Last  week  Clements  R.  Markham,  Secretary 
of  the  Royal  Geographical  Society  of  London,  Eng., 
and  a  grandson  of  Archbishop  Markham,  who  was  a 
member  of  the  cabinet  of  George  III.,  and  whose 
likeness  is  given  in  one  of  the  reliefs  which  adorn 
the  interior  of  the  Saratoga  Monument,  visited  the 
monument  and  expressed  himself  very  greatly  pleased. 
In  a  letter  to  his  relative,  Mr.  J.  C.  Markham,  the 
architect,  Secretary  Markham  writes  :  '  I  went  up  to 
the  top  and  made  out  the  surrounding  sites  very 
clearly.  As  a  composition  I  am  very  much  impressed 
by  the  design  of  the  obelisk.  The  rough  stone  and 
the  buttresses  at  the  lower  part,  give  an  effect  of 
strength  and  dignity,  without  detracting  from  the 
grace  of  the  general  effect.  I  also  thought  that  the 
details  of  the  doors,  and  windows,  and  string  courses 
were  admirably  managed.  Mr.  William  L.  Stone's 
book  is  excellent,  and  appears  to  be  nearly  exhaust- 
ive. It  was  a  great  help  to  me  in  making  out  the 
places  from  the  top  of  the  obelisk."1 

35 


APPENDIX  I. 


SCHUYLER'S   FAITHFUL  SPY. 

Moses  Harris,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  man 
of  more  than  ordinary  mental  and  physical  ability, 
and  a  cooper  by  trade.  He  was  born  on  the  8th  day 
of  November,  1745,  in  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y., 
where  his  father,  Moses,  Sen.,  had  settled  with  a 
colony  from  Wales.  The  latter,  on  the  breaking  out 
of  the  Revolutionary  war,  was  living  on  the  Brayton 
farm,  about  one  mile  south  of  Fort  Ann  village,  but 
went  back  in  the  early  spring  of  1777  to  Dutchess 
County,  where  he  remained  until  Burgoyne's  surren- 
der enabled  him  to  return.  His  son,  who  was  an  earn- 
est advocate  of  the  patriot  cause,  was  accustomed  to 
visit  a  Tory  uncle,  Gilbert  Harris  by  name,  then 
living  in  the  town  of  Kingsbury,  on  a  farm  long 
known  as  the  "  Bill  Colvin,"  or  "  the  Thousand  Ap- 
pletree  Farm,"  and  now  owned  by  Thomas  Owens. 
At  such  times  he  invariably  espoused  the  side  of  the 
Crown,  completely  deceiving  his  uncle,  who  would 
applaud  his  nephew's  loyalty,  and  urge  him  to  stand 
firmly  by  the  king. 

Young  Harris,  who  during  the  early  summer  of 
1777,  was  living  in  Dutchess  County  with  his  father 


276  Appendix  I. 

and  brothers,  Joseph  and  William,  entered  the  Ameri- 
can service  under  the  following  circumstances : 
Schuyler  had  expressed  to  a  friend  his  great  need  of 
a  trusty  spy  to  obtain  information  of  the  designs  of 
Burgoyne.  Schuyler's  friend,  after  a  little  reflection^ 
replied  that  he  knew  just  the  man  for  his  purpose, 
adding  that  not  one  in  ten  thousand  was  so  well  fitted 
for  that  dangerous  and  important  service.  Schuyler 
lost  no  time  in  sending  for  Harris,  who  readily  fell  in 
with  the  plan  of  that  general. 

Before  setting  out  on  his  hazardous  mission  he  vis- 
ited his  Tory  uncle,  who  asked  him  how  he  would 
like  to  serve  the  king  as  a  messenger  from  Montreal 
to  New  York.  The  nephew  seemingly  entered  into 
the  idea  with  alacrity,  and  so  completely  did  he  hood- 
wink the  uncle,  that  the  latter  urged  him  to  tarry  until 
morning.  About  midnight  he  was  aroused  from  sleep 
and  informed  that  if  he  were  really  in  earnest  an  op- 
portunity had  arisen  to  serve  his  king,  and  at  the 
same  time  win  future  favor  and  great  reward.  He 
dressed  himself  and  followed  his  uncle  to  the  barn, 
where  a  secret  passage  disclosed  a  room  in  the  centre 
of  the  hay-mow;  Here  he  was  introduced  to  three 
British  officers,  who  told  him  they  were  seeking  for 
a  trusty  messenger  to  carry  communications  between 
Generals  Burgoyne  and  Clinton.  The  uncle's  recom- 
mendations and  the  young  man's  apparent  honesty 
and  zeal  won  the  confidence  of  the  officers,  and  Harris 
was  engaged  on  the  spot  to  enter  his  Majesty's  ser- 
vice. After  delaying  a  day  to  make  a  canteen  with 


Schuylers  Faithful  Spy.  277 

three  heads  for  the  more  safe  convenience  of  the  dis- 
patches, Harris  visited  Burgoyne,  who,  fully  trusting 
him,  confirmed  the  bargain  with  the  officers,  and  im- 
mediately made  him  the  bearer  of  dispatches  to  Clin- 
ton. On  reaching  Fort  Edward  he  had  an  interview 
with  Schuyler,  who  read  and  altered  the  dispatches 
so  as  to  mislead  Clinton  and  delay  his  advance 
towards  Albany;  and  on  his  return,  the  dispatches 
were  again  opened  and  changed  so  as  to  completely 
puzzle  Burgoyne.*  The  usual  custom  of  Harris, 
however,  on  his  trips  south  was  to  stop  over  at 
Easton  with  a  Mr.  Fish,  who  would  take  the  papers 
to  Schuyler's  headquarters,  where  they  were  copied, 
altered  and  returned  to  the  spy,  and  by  him  taken  to 
Albany.  Here  they  were  delivered  at  once  to  Wil- 
liam Shepherd,  who  forwarded  them  to  New  York, 
giving  Harris  in  return  dispatches  for  Burgoyne  from 
Clinton,  which,  on  the  way  back  would,  as  usual,  be 
subjected  to  the  inspection  of  Schuyler. 

Shepherd,  at  length,  becoming  suspicious  of  the 
King's  messenger,  tried  to  poison  him.  The  attempt 

*  A  similar  trick  was  once  played  by  Frederick 
the  Great,  who,  after  Leignizt,  i6th  August, 
1 760,  caused  a  letter  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Russian  general,  Chernicheff,  which  induced  the  Mus- 
covite, with  every  chance  of  success  before  him,  to 
retreat  precipitately.  The  incident  mentioned  in  the 
text  doubtless  originated  the  "Canteen  Story,"  told 
by  General  J.  Watts  de  Peyster,  in  one  of  his  able  let- 
ters to  the  New  York  Times  on  the  "  Burgoyne  Cam- 
paign." See,  also,  Stone's  Burgoyne,  p.  342,  note. 


278  Appendix  I. 

failed;  but  shortly  after  the  spy  was  arrested  at 
Tripoli,  near  the  dwelling  of  his  old  Tory  uncle,  and 
conducted  to  an  island  in  the  centre  of  the  big 
swamp  east  of  Sandy  Hill,  where  he  was  nearly  killed 
by  his  captors  in  their  endeavors  to  make  him  confess 
his  treason.  Moses  Harris,  the  youngest  son  of  the 
spy,  lately  told  Mr.  S.  O.  Cross,  of  Sandy  Hill, 
N.  Y.,  that  the  Tories  strung  up  his  father  on  a  tree 
three  times,  to  extort  a  confession  of  guilt.  The 
prisoner  persisted  in  declaring  his  fidelity  to  the  King, 
and  finally,  having  given  the  Masonic  sign  of  dis- 
tress, the  captain  of  the  gang  —  himself  a  Mason - 
let  him  go,  remarking  that  it  was  possible  a  brother 
might  otherwise  perish  unjustly.*  This,  however,  in 
turn,  aroused  the  enmity  of  the  Whigs,  some  of 
whom  swore  they  would  shoot  him  at  sight.  Jacob 
Benson  especially,  a  staunch  patriot,  became  so  en- 
raged that  he  lay  in  wait  for  him  all  of  one  night, 
threatening  to  "put  a  ball  through  the  cussed  Tory." 
But  Swart,  a  loyalist  neighbor,  warned  the  supposed 
traitor  in  time,  and  the  latter,  taking  another  route, 
escaped  the  vengeance  of  the  infuriated  Whig.  In- 

*  The  celebrated  Mohawk  Chief,  Tha-yen-da-na-gea 
(Brant),  during  the  Revolution,  also  saved  several 
captives  on  recognizing  the  "Grand  Hailing  Sign  of 
Distress."  Brant  was  made  a  Mason  by  Sir  William 
Johnson,  at  Johnstown,  N.  Y.  See  Stone's  Brant. 
Brant  also,  by  the  way,  visited  Burgoyne  at  Fort 
Miller;  but,  perhaps,  not  being  so  sanguine  of  re- 
sults, made  no  effort  to  restrain  Burgoyne's  Indians 
from  deserting. 


Schuyler  s  Faithful  Spy.  279 

deed,  the  presence  of  mind  of  Harris  never  forsook 
him,  and  he  always  eluded  the  most  dangerous  traps. 
Once,  when  badly  wounded,  as  he  was  fleeing  from 
danger,  he  escaped  immediate  pursuit  by  swimming 
the  Hudson  near  Fort  Miller,  and  took  shelter  with 
Noah  Pain,  a  Whig,  to  whom  he  revealed  in  confidence 
his  relations  with  Schuyler  and  the  American  army. 
His  host  respected  his  secret,  and  concealed  him 
until  he  was  able  to  resume  his  journey.  So  great, 
however,  had  now  become  the  feeling  against  him, 
that  Schuyler  was  obliged  to  have  him  arrested  and 
thrown  into  jail  in  Albany,  but  he  was  released  by 
private  instructions  to  the  jailor  as  soon  as  the  ex- 
citement among  the  Whigs  had  subsided. 

Soon  after  his  release  he  was  sent  by  Schuyler  to 
St.  John's  with  false  information  to  the  authorities  in 
Canada,  by  whom  he  was  handsomely  rewarded ;  but 
before  leaving  he  was  again  suspected  of  duplicity. 
He  seems,  however,  always  to  have  so  acted  his  part 
as  to  escape,  and  on  this  occasion,  when  summoned 
before  his  accusers,  he,  as  was  his  wont,  assumed  the 
air  and  attitude  of  injured  innocence.  He  tore  open 
his  ruffled  shirt  bosom,  and  bearing  his  breast,  called 
upon  those  present  to  shoot  him  then  and  there.  It 
was,  he  said,  worse  than  death  to  be  suspected  of 
disloyalty  to  his  King;  and  once  more  he  demanded 
that  his  mental  tortures  should  be  ended  by  death. 
So  well  feigned  were  his  actions,  that  for  the  time 
being,  he  completely  imposed  upon  the  spectators. 
Not  only  was  there  no  opposition  to  his  leaving  the 


280  Appendix  I. 

room,  but   on  his  departure  he  was  again  entrusted 
with  important  dispatches  for  the  Southern  army. 

He  had  not  been  long  gone,  however,  before  the 
authorities,  regretting  their  action,  sent  an  officer  to 
arrest  him.  It  was  too  late.  The  spy  was  nowhere 
to  be  found.  Taking  advantage  of  the  darkness 
which  by  that  time  had  come  on,  Harris  hastened  to 
put  himself  outside  of  the  British  lines ;  and  within 
an  hour  he  was  well  on  his  way  to  the  American 
army.  This  haste  increased  the  general  suspicion. 
Swift  Indian  runners  were  put  upon  his  track ;  but 
being  fleet  of  foot,  and  possessed  of  great  powers 
of  endurance,  he  outstripped  his  pursuers,  and 
reached  Vaughn's  Corners  in  the  town  of  Kingsbury 
(Washington  county,  N.  Y.).  At  this  point  he  was 
so  fatigued  and  hard  pressed,  that  in  passing  an 
old  building  used  for  boiling  potash  —  which  stood 
on  a  farm  now  owned  by  J.  W.  Brown  — he  dodged 
in,  and  clambering  up  a  ladder,  hid  himself  be- 
hind a  large  chimney.  A  moment  after  the  Indians 
came  round  to  the  place  where  he  had  entered. 
One  of  them  ran  up  the  ladder,  but  seeing  no  one, 
gave  a  grunt  and  returned  to  his  companions.  The 
Indians  were  not  seen  again,  and  it  is  supposed 
they  went  over  to  visit  Gil  Harris,  who  lived  half  a 
mile  west.  Harris's  stratagem,  in  not  pulling  up  the 
ladder  after  him,  probably  saved  his  life,  for  had  the 
savages  suspected  the  fugitive  to  be  in  the  garret, 
they  would  have  set  fire  to  the  cabin  and  thus 
destroyed  him.  In  the  evening  he  made  his  way 


Schuyters  Faithful  Spy.  281 

to  the  American  lines,  where  he  was  arrested  as  a 
spy,  and  closely  guarded  until  his  true  character  was 
known.  The  despatches  of  the  Canadian  authori- 
ties, which  he  had  managed  to  preserve,  he  delivered 
to  Schuyler  in  person,  as  his  friend  Fish  was  sick 
and  unable  to  act  as  the  "go  between." 

At  length  he  was  so  closely  watched  by  Tory  spies 
in  Albany,  that  he  was  forced  to  abandon  the  British 
service,  carrying  the  last  message  with  which  he  was 
entrusted  by  Burgoyne,  to  Washington.  At  the 
same  time  he  bore  with  him  to  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  a  commendatory  letter  from  Schuyler,  who 
had  given  him  one  hundred  guineas — probably  out 
of  the  secret  service  money.  He  was  offered  a  good 
position  in  the  Southern  army  by  Washington,  but 
he  declined  it ;  and  throwing  off  his  disguise  as  a 
Tory,  he  returned  to  Kingsbury,  saying  that  "  all  the 
Tories  this  side  of  Hell  should  not  drive  him  from 
his  home."  Nor  did  they.  He  remained  on  his  farm 
until  1787,  when,  having  bought  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  Queensbury,  he  moved  his  family  thither  the 
succeeding  year.  He  never  entered  the  Continental 
army,  but  became  a  pensioner  in  his  old  age  for  his 
services  as  a  spy.  He  died  on  the  i3th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1838,  and  a  monument  to  his  memory  in  the 
burial  ground  at  Harrisena  (Warren  county,  N.  Y.) 
bears  the  following  inscription  :  West  side :  MOSES 
HARRIS  —  DIED — Nov.  13,  1838 — AGED  89  YEARS 
—  ii  MONTHS  AND  24  DAYS  —  North  side  :  IN  JUNE, 

1787,   I   MOVED    WITH  TWO  OF   MY   BROTHERS,   WlLLIAM 
36 


282  Appendix  I. 

AND  JOSEPH  HARRIS,  ON  TO  THE  JOHN  LAWRENCE  PAT- 
TENT,  AS  YOU  MAY  SEE  BY  THE  RECORDS  IN  THE  OFFICE 

OF  THE  COUNTY.     BUT  NOW  I   AM  DONE  WITH  THIS 

WORLD    AND    RACE,    AND    NONE    BUT    GOD    SHALL     SAY 
WHERE    SHALL    BE    MY    ABIDING    PLACE." 

"  I  have  visited  his  son,"  writes  Mr.  Cross  to  the 
author,  "  and  my  conclusions  are  that  Moses  Harris 
was  the  man  of  all  others  who  risked  most  in  becom- 
ing a  target  for  both  sides,  thereby  procuring  infor- 
mation that  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  Burgoyne. 
Harris,  like  thousands  of  other  common  men  who 
have  done  great  service,  passed  into  obscurity  and 
was  forgotten.  More  than  a  hundred  years  have 
elapsed  and  justice  should  now  be  done  to  one  of 
the  bravest  of  men,  who  lived  in  times  that  tried 
men's  souls  !  His  name  should  be  placed  high  on 
the  Saratoga  monument  that  is  to  record  the  results 
of  all  these  heroic  deeds." 


APPENDIX  II, 


GATES'S  SCOUTS  ;  BRYAN ;  HARDIN,  ETC. 

General  Gates,  also,  besides  Schuyler,  had  scouts 
on  whom  he  relied  to  furnish  intelligence  of  Bur- 
goyne's  movements,  chief  of  whom  was  Alexander 
Bryan,  who  succeeded  Harris  in  his  delicate  duties 
to  Gen.  Schuyler.  Bryan,  during  the  American 
Revolution,  kept  an  inn  two  miles  north  of  Water- 
ford,  on  what  was  then  the  great  road  between 
the  northern  and  southern  frontiers.  His  house, 
naturally,  was  frequented  by  the  partisans  of  each 
side,  toward  whom  he  behaved  so  discreetly  that  he 
was  molested  by  neither,  but  was  confided  in  by 
both.  His  patriotism,  however,  was  well  known  to 
the  Committee  of  Safety  of  Stillwater,  by  whom  he 
was  recommended  to  Gates  as  a  suitable  person  to 
report  the  intended  movements  of  the  enemy.  Bryan 
tarried  in  the  neighborhood  of  Burgoyne's  army  — 
at  that  time  lying  between  Fort  Miller  and  the  Bat- 
tenkill  —  until  he  was  convinced  that  preparations 
were  making  for  an  immediate  advance.  Then  on 
the  1 5th  of  September,  in  the  early  gray  of  the 
morning,  he  started  with  the  tidings ;  and  though 
pursued  by  troopers,  he  managed  to  escape,  and 


284  Appendix  II. 

arrived  safely  at  the  headquarters  of  Gates  late  the 
following  night.  Bryan  afterward  removed  to  Sara- 
toga Springs,  in  the  cemetery  of  which  village  there  is 
a  monument  erected  to  his  memory  bearing  the  fol- 
lowing inscription  :  "In  memory  of  Alexander  Bryan, 
Died  April  9th,  1825,  aged  92  years.  The  first  per- 
manent settler,  and  the  first  to  keep  a  public  house 
here  for  visitors.  An  unpaid  patriot,  who  alone  and 
at  great  peril,  gave  the  first  and  only  information  of 
Burgoyne's  intended  advance  on  Stillwater,  which 
led  to  timely  preparations  for  the  battle  of  Sept. 
1 9th,  followed  by  the  memorable  victory  of  October 
7th,  1777." 

Another  scout  was  Jacob  Van  Alstyne  —  a  sketch 
of  whom  is  given  by  Jeptha  R.  Simms.  John 
Strover  (the  father  of  the  late  John  Strover  of 
Schuylerville,  N.  Y. )  had  also  the  command  of  a 
party  of  scouts  well  acquainted  with  the  country. 
"  He  was  present,"  says  General  Bullard,  "  at  the 
execution  of  Thomas  Lovelace,  a  malignant  Tory, 
who  was  hung  upon  an  oak  tree,  about  thirty  rods 
south  of  where  George  Strover  now  resides.  At 
that  date  the  gravel  ridge  extended  east  as  far  as 
where  the  canal  now  is,  and  the  oak  tree  stood  upon 
the  east  point  of  the  gravel  ridge  near  where  the 
store  house  of  the  Victory  company  now  stands. 
When  the  Waterford  and  Whitehall  turnpike  was 
constructed  through  there,  about  1813,  the  stump  of 
the  old  oak  was  removed  by  the  excavation.  John 
Strover  had  frequently  informed  his  son  George  that 


Gates  s  Scouts.  285 

Lovelace  was  buried  in  a  standing  posture,  near  the 
tree.  When  the  excavation  took  place,  George 
stood  by  and  saw  the  bones,  yet  in  a  standing  pos- 
ture, removed  from  the  very  spot  which  had  been 
pointed  out  by  his  father.  The  skull  of  Lovelace  is 
now  (1895)  in  the  possession  of  the  daughter  of  the 
late  George  Strover,  who  lives  in  the  "  Schuyler 
Mansion  "  at  Schuylerville,  N.  Y.  During  the  cam- 
paign Burgoyne  employed  Lovelace  and  other  tories 
as  spies,  and  they  were  generally  secreted  in  the 
woods  between  old  Saratoga  and  Saratoga  Lake. 
One  day  Capt.  Dunham,  then  residing  near  the  lake, 
in  company  with  Daniel  Spike  and  a  colored  man,  was 
scouring  the  woods,  and  while  crossing  upon  a  tree 
which  had  fallen  over  the  brook  east  of  the  Wagman 
farm,  discovered  five  guns  stacked  in  the  hiding 
place  of  the  spies.  With  a  sudden  rush,  Dunham 
and  his  associates  seized  the  guns  and  captured  all 
five  of  the  spies,  bound  and  brought  them  into  the 
American  camp." 

This  adventure  of  Dunham  brings  to  mind  an 
equally  daring  exploit  (performed  during  the  time 
that  Burgoyne  and  Gates  lay  opposite  each  other) 
by  Lieut.  John  Hardin  —  the  great-grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Ellen  H.  Walworth  of  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y., 
—  who  was  attached  to  Morgan's  Rifle  Corps.  Har- 
din was  often  selected  by  Morgan  for  enterprises  of 
peril  which  required  discretion  and  intrepidity  to 
ensure  success.  While  with  the  army  of  Gen.  Gates, 
he  was  sent  on  a  reconnoitering  expedition  with 


286  Appendix  II. 

orders  to  capture  a  prisoner  for  the  purpose  of  ob- 
taining information.  Marching  silently  in  advance 
of  his  party,  he  found  himself,  on  reaching  the  abrupt 
summit  of  a  hill,  in  the  presence  of  three  British  sol- 
diers and  a  Mohawk  Indian.  The  moment  was 
critical,  but  without  the  slightest  hesitation  he  pre- 
sented his  rifle  and  ordered  them  to  surrender.  The 
British  immediately  threw  down  their  arms  ;  the  In- 
dian clubbed  his  gun.  Hardin  continued  to  advance 
on  them,  but  none  of  his  men  having  come  up  to  his 
assistance  he  turned  his  head  a  little  to  one  side  and 
called  them.  The  Indian  warrior  observing  Har- 
din's  eye  withdrawn  from  him,  reversed  his  gun  with 
a  rapid  motion  for  the  purpose  of  firing.  Hardin 
caught  the  gleam  of  light  that  was  reflected  from  the 
polished  barrel  of  the  gun,  and  readily  divining  its 
meaning,  brought  his  own  rifle  to  a  level,  and  with- 
out raising  his  gun  to  his  face  gained  the  first  fire 
and  gave  the  Indian  a  mortal  wound.  The  ball  from 
the  warrior's  rifle  passed  through  Hardin's  hair.  The 
British  prisoners  were  marched  into  camp,  and  Har- 
din received  the  thanks  of  General  Gates. 

"  Great  and  crushing  as  was  the  defeat  at  Sara- 
toga," continues  Gen.  Bullard,  "  the  war  was  not  yet 
ended,  and  the  struggle  continued  for  five  years 
longer.  Nor  did  this  locality  escape  the  trials  and 
hardships  of  those  times  which  tried  men's  souls. 

"  For  instance,the  farm  of  James  Brisbin  had  suffi- 
cient wheat  and  cattle  to  have  paid  the  purchase 
price,  but  it  was  all  taken  and  consumed  by  Bur- 


Gates  s  Scouts.  287 

goyne's  army  without  compensation,  notwithstanding 
the  fair  promises  made  in  the  proclamation  of  that 
General  of  July  loth.  We  should  except,  however, 
a  single  cow,  which  escaped  from  her  captors,  re- 
turned home  and  was  secreted  and  saved."* 

*  This  is  an  appropriate  place  in  which  to  correct 
the  statements  of  some  writers,  even  those  on  the 
American  side,  to  the  effect  that  the  Americans  were 
seemingly  the  only  ones  who  committed  acts  of  plun- 
der. So  patriotic  and  able  a  writer  as  Gen.  J.  Watts 
de  Peyster,  for  example,  has  given  countenance  to 
this  view,  by  citing  the  well-known  advice  of  Col. 
Skeene  to  Breyman,  "  to  scatter  things  on  the 
march,  as  the  Rebels  would  stop  to  pick  them  up," 
thus  allowing  time  for  that  officer  to  make  good  his 
retreat.  Still,  this  sort  of  thing  was  by  no  means 
confined  to  the  so  called  ll  Rebels,"  as  might  be 
inferred  from  the  remark  of  Col.  Skeene.  In  a  "  For- 
gotten diary  of  a  Red-coat  officer"  detailing  his 
experience  in  the  retreat  from  Concord,  published 
for  the  first  time  in  full  in  the  Boston  Evening  Tran- 
script, Apr.  1 8,  1894,  the  "Diary"  closes  as  follows: 
"  Our  soldiers,  the  others  say  \i.  *.,  on  the  Retreat 
from  Concord]  tho'  they  shew'd  no  want  of  courage, 
yet  were  so  wild  and  irregular  that  there  was  no 
keeping  'em  in  any  order ;  by  their  eagerness  and 
inattention  they  kill'd  many  of  our  own  People  ;  and 
the  plundering  was  shameful;  many  hardly  thought 
of  anything  else ;  what  was  worse  they  were  encour- 
aged by  some  Officers." 


APPENDIX  III. 


ANECDOTES   OF   BURGOYNE'S  CAMPAIGN  — BY 

THE  LATE  CHAS.  NEILSON,  OF  BEMUS'S 

HEIGHTS. 

On  the  near  approach  of  Burgoyne  with  so  power- 
ful, and  as  yet  successful  an  army,  with  his  horde  of 
unrestrained  savages,  who  were  continually  in  advance 
and  on  his  flanks,  prowling  about  the  country,  plun- 
dering, murdering  and  scalping  all  who  refused  loy- 
alty to  the  British  king,  the  inhabitants  on  both  sides 
of  the  Hudson  river,  in  the  wildest  consternation 
and  alarm,  fled  in  every  direction.  In  one  place  a 
long  cavalcade  of  ox  carts  occasionally  intermixed 
with  wagons,  filled  with  all  kinds  of  furniture  hur- 
riedly thrown  in,  and  not  often  selected  by  the  own- 
ers with  reference  to  their  use  or  value,  on  occasions 
of  such  alarm,  were  stretched  for  some  distance  along 
the  road  ;  while  in  another  might  be  seen  a  number  on 
horseback,  and  here  and  there  two  mounted  at  once 
on  a  steed  panting  under  the  weight  of  a  double  load, 
closely  followed  by  a  crowd  of  pedestrians,  and  some 
perhaps  weeping  mothers,  with  a  child  or  two  scream- 
ing in  their  arms  or  on  their  backs,  trudging  along 
with  fearful  and  hurried  step.  These  found  great 


Anecdotes  of  Burgoynes  Campaign.         289 

difficulty  in  keeping  up  with  the  rapid  flight  of  their 
mounted  friends.  Here  and  there  would  be  seen 
some  humane  person  assisting  the  more  unfortunate, 
by  relieving  them  of  their  burdens  with  which  they 
were  encumbered  ;  but  generally  a  principle  of  sel- 
fishness prevented  much  interchange  of  friendly 
offices  —  every  one  for  himself  was  the  common  cry. 

The  men  of  this  generation  can  never  know  what 
were  the  sorrows  of  those  fathers  that  saw  their 
children  exposed  to  dangers  and  death,  and  what  the 
agonies  of  those  kind  mothers,  who  pressed  their 
offspring  to  their  bosom  in  the  constant  apprehension 
of  seeing  them  torn  from  their  embraces,  to  become 
the  victims  of  savage  cruelty.* 

At  one  time  while  the  two  armies  were  encamped 
near  each  other  (after  the  battle  of  Freeman's  farm) 
about  twenty  of  the  most  resolute  inhabitants  in  the 
vicinity,  collected  together  for  the  purpose  of  having 
a  frolic,  as  they  termed  it,  of  some  kind  or  other. 
After  their  arrival  at  the  place  of  rendezvous,  and  a 

*  In  corroboration  of  the  above  just  remark  I  give 
here  an  epitaph,  copied  from  the  inscription  found  on  a 
monument  in  Westminster,  Vermont,  and  furnished 
to  Slade  by  the  late  Hon.  Wm.  C.  Bradley.  It  is 
preserved  in  "  Slade  "  both,  as  he  says,  as  a  literary 
curiosity  and  as  exhibiting  "  an  unequivocal  indication 
of  the  spirit  of  the  times?  The  history  of  the  trans- 
action, which  it  commemorates,  may  be  found  in 
"  Slade's  Vermont  State  Papers,"  pages  55-9.  It  is 
an  account  of  one  of  the  most  unprovoked  and  blood- 
thirsty transactions  of  the  American  revolution,  and 
37 


290  Appendix  III. 

number  of  propositions  had  been  logically  discussed, 
they  finally  concluded,  with  more  courage  than  pru- 
dence, that,  by  a  coup- de-main,  they  would  go  and 
bring  in  one  of  the  British  advance  pickets,  which 
was  posted  on  the  north  bank  of  the  middle  ravine. 
Having  with  much  formality  selected  their  several 
officers,  and  furnished  themselves  with  suitable  arms 
and  other  equipments,  they  marched  off  in  zV-regular 
military  style.  The  martial  costume  of  the  captain, 
for  by  such  title  he  was  addressed,  exhibited  the  ex- 
tremes of  continental  etiquette,  personified  in  one 
instance,  by  a  sharp  and  huge  three-cocked  hat,  pro- 
fusely trimmed  with  the  threadbare  fragments  of 
thrown-off  gold  lace,  surmounting  a  well  pomatumed 

fully  deserves  a  place  (as  a  record}  beside  the  "  Bat- 
tle of  Golden  Hill,"  New  York,  and  the  "  Boston 
Massacre."  As  "Slade"  is  now  out  of  print  we  re- 
produce it. 

EPITAPH. 

"In  Memory  of  William  French  Son  to  Mr  Na- 
thaniel French  Who  Was  Shot  at  Westminster 
March  Ye  13*  1775  by  the  hands  of  Cruel  Ministereal 
tools  of  Georg  ye  3d  in  the  Corthouse  at  a  1 1  a  Clock 
at  Night  in  the  22d  year  of  his  Age." 

"  Here  William  French  his  Body  lies 
For  Murder  his  blood  for  Vengance  cries 
King  Georg  the  third  his  Tory  crew 
tha  with  a  bawl  [ball]  his  head  Shot  threw 
For  Liberty  and  his  Countrys  Good 
he  Lost  his  Life  his  Dearest  blood." 


Anecdotes  of  Burgoynes  Campaign.          291 

and  powdered  head.  A  long  waisted  blue  coat, 
turned  up  with  rather  sun-bleached  buff,  that  met  and 
parted  at  the  same  time  on  his  breast;  a  black  silk 
neck-kerchief,  drawn  tightly  around  his  throat,  dis- 
covering the  balance  of  power,  or  rather  the  center 
of  gravity  to  be  lying  somewhere  in  the  region  of 
the  olfactory  organ,  completed  the  upper  half  of  this 
mischief-bent  volunteer  officer.  A  pair  of  buckskin 
small  clothes  drawn  tightly  over  a  muscular  thigh, 
were  met  at  the  knee  by  a  pair  of  straight-sided  boots, 
that,  doubtless,  by  their  stiffness  and  want  of  pliability 
prevented  anything  like  an  attack  upon  the  limb 
inside.  An  old  white  belt  thrown  over  the  whole 
man,  and  a  heavy  sabre  with  a  leather  scabbard, 
completed  the  brilliant  costume  of  this  son  of  chiv- 
alry, and  zr-regular  friend  of  the  Continental  Congress. 
The  other  ^w^-missioned  officers,  for  such  by  way  of 
distinguishment  were  they  called,  were  fully  armed 
and  accoutred  in  a  similar  manner,  but  somewhat  in- 
ferior in  brilliancy.  Brown  tow  shirts  were  the  pano- 
ply of  the  farmer-soldiers ;  over  their  broad  should- 
ers hung  powder  horns  and  shot  bags,  manufactured 
during  the  long  winter  evenings,  and  now  and  then 
stopped  up  with  a  corn  cob,  which  had  escaped  the 
researches  of  the  swinish  multitude.  Muskets  were 
rather  uncommon  among  the  inhabitants  in  those 
days  of  martial  exploit,  and  in  their  stead,  long  fowl- 
ing-pieces were  substituted. 

In  such  a  group  of  combatants,  just  escaped,  as  it 
were,  from  the  tomahawk,  hastily  equipped  for  the 


292  Appendix  III. 

present  emergency,  and  bearing  a  grotesque  appear- 
ance, the  name  of  Steuben  was  of  no  more  weight 
than  the  feather  that  danced  in  the  breeze.  Thus 
armed  and  accoutred,  the  sons  of  daring  intrepidity 
marched  off  about  ten  o'clock  at  night,  with  more 
courage  than  order,  fully  determined  to  conquer  or 
die  in  the  glorious  cause  of  their  beloved  country, 
then  bleeding  at  every  pore.  As  they  approached 
within  musket-shot  distance  of  their  unsuspecting 
enemy  they  were  formed,  or  rather  formed  them- 
selves in  order  of  battle,  and  advanced  in  three 
%rand  divisions  —  one  by  a  circuitous  route,  to  gain 
their  rear,  while  the  other  two  posted  themselves  on 
their  flanks.  After  giving  time  for  each  party  to 
gain  their  several  positions,  the  resolute  captain,  who 
was  prepared  for  the  purpose,  gave  the  preconcerted 
signal  by  a  deafening  blast  on  an  old  horse  trumpet, 
whose  martial  sound  had  often  cheered  the  mounted 
troops  to  fierce  and  bloody  combat,  when  all,  with 
fearless,  step  "  rushed  bravely  on "  with  clattering 
arms,  through  rustling  leaves  and  crackling  brush, 
with  the  usual  parade  of  a  hundred  men.  As  they 
closed  in  the  leaders  of  each  division,  in  a  bold  and 
commanding  voice,  and  before  the  guard  could  say 
"  Who  comes  there  ?"  called,  or  rather  bawled  out, 
"Ground  your  arms,  or  you  are  all  dead  men  !"  Sup- 
posing they  were  surrounded  by  a  much  superior 
force,  and  deeming  resistance,  under  such  circum- 
stances, of  no  avail,  the  officer  of  the  guard  gave  the 
orders,  when  their  arms  were  immediately  grounded, 


Anecdotes  of  Burgoynes  Campaign.         293 

and  thirty  British  soldiers  surrendered  themselves 
"prisoners  of  war"  to  only  two-thirds  of  their  num- 
ber, and  those  undisciplined  American  farmers. 

Accompanying  the  American  army  were  a  great 
number  of  women,  principally  foreigners,  many  of 
whom  had  husbands  or  brothers  in  the  action,  and 
many  who  followed  merely  for  the  sake  of  plunder, 
as  was  manifested  during  the  night  after  the  action 
of  the  7th  October.  The  next  morning  after  the 
battle  every  man  that  was  left  dead  on  the  field,  and 
even  those  who  were  supposed  to  be  mortally 
wounded,  and  not  yet  dead,  but  helpless,  were  found 
stripped  of  their  clothing,  which  rendered  it  almost 
impossible  to  distinguish  between  American  and 
British.  But  during  the  action  a  heartrending  and 
yet,  to  some,  a  laughable,  scene  took  place  in  the 
American  camp,  and  probably  the  same  in  the 
British.  In  the  heat  of  the  battle,  and  while  the 
cannon  were  constantly  roaring  like  oft  peals  of  dis- 
tant thunder,  and  making  the  earth  to  quake  from  its 
very  foundation,  some  of  those  women,  wringing 
their  hands,  apparently  in  the  utmost  distress,  and 
frantically  tearing  their  hair  in  the  agony  of  their 
feelings,  were  heard  to  cry  out,  in  the  most  lament- 
able exclamations,  "  Och,  my  husband!  my  poor  hus- 
band !  Lord  Jesus,  spare  my  poor  husband !"  which 
would  be  often  repeated,  and  sometimes  by  fifteen  or 
twenty  voices  at  once  ;  while  the  more  hardened  ones, 
and  those  rejoicing  in  the  prospects  of  plunder, 
would  break  out  in  blasphemous  imprecations,  ex- 


294  Appendix  III. 

claiming,  "  D — n  your  poor  husband,  you  can  get 
another !"  And  in  this  manner  the  scene  continued 
during  the  action  ;  and  I  have  heard  it  observed  by 
those  who  were  present  that  they  could  not  help 
smiling,  even  through  their  tears,  at  the  pitiful  exhi- 
bition. 

The  Germans  were  found  almost  totally  unfit  for 
the  business  they  were  engaged  in.  They  were 
unable  to  march  through  the  woods  and  encounter 
the  difficulties  incident  to  our  then  almost  unsettled 
country.  Many  of  them  deserted  to  our  army  before 
and  after  the  convention  at  Saratoga.  Among  those 
of  the  German  troops  who  surrendered,  were  the 
Hesse-Hanau  regiment,  Riedesel's  dragoons  and 
Specht's  regiment,  the  most  remarkable  of  the  whole. 
The  Hessians  were  extremely  dirty  in  their  persons, 
and  had  a  collection  of  wild  animals  in  their  train  - 
the  only  thing  American  they  had  captured.*  Here 

*  Until  Green's  and  Hiking's  works  on  the  Hessians 
came  out,  it  had  always  been  the  habit  of  all  writers 
on  both  sides  to  sneer  at  and  ridicule  the  Hessians. 
But  they  were  really  to  be  pitied.  The  abject  slave 
of  his  German  petty  prince,  the  Hessian  was  not 
allowed  to  ask  why  or  wherefore  he  was  to  fight. 
He  knew  but  one  will  —  that  of  his  military  lord  and 
superior.  That  he  did  not,  however,  yearn  to  return 
to  his  fatherland,  is  clearly  shown  in  the  fact  that  as 
many  as  could  deserted,  and  in  Massachusetts  and 
Virginia  became  well-to-do  and  reputable  farmers - 
many  of  whose  descendants  are  living  to  this  day 
—  chief  men  in  their  respective  communities.  As  in 


Anecdotes  of  Burgoynes  Campaign.         295 

could  be  seen  an  artillery-man  leading  a  black  grizzly 
bear,  who  every  now  and  then  would  rear  upon  his 
hind  legs  as  if  he  were  tired  of  going  upon  all  fours, 
or  occasionally  growl  his  disapprobation  at  being 

point,  I  here  give  an  extract  from  the  private  diary 
of  Capt.  Biddle,  during  the  revolution  : 

Although,  as  we  have  seen,  it  was  one  of  Biddle's 
chief  motives  in  enlisting  to  have  a  shot  at  the  Hes- 
sians, he  saw  cause  later  to  change  his  opinion  of 
these  mercenaries,  "  when  he  came  to  know  many  of 
them,  and  considered  that  they  were  a  set  of  poor 
wretches,  obliged  to  go  wherever  they  were  ordered 
by  their  prince."  He  records  that  "  many  of  them 
captured  with  Burgoyne  were  at  Reading,  and  were 
very  useful  to  the  farmers  in  the  neighborhood,  who 
hired  them  and  found  they  were  hardworking,  indus- 
trious fellows.  I  know  several  who  have  become 
men  of  property,  and  behaved  well.  One  of  them 
has  been  with  me  eleven  years."  He  says 

when  he  first  came  to  America  he  and  all  the  Hessians 
firmly  believed  that  if  they  were  taken  by  the  Ameri- 
cans they  would  be  roasted  and  eaten.  He  notes 
with  indignation  the  conduct  of  an  American  surgeon 
who  was  employed  to  attend  the  wounded  Hessians 
taken  prisoners  after  the  attack  upon  the  fort  at  Red 
Bank.  This  man  boasted,  it  seems,  that  "whenever 
he  was  called  to  a  Hessian  wounded  in  the  leg  or 
arm  he  immediately  amputated  it,  whether  necessary 
or  not,  to  prevent  their  doing  any  more  mischief." 

Neilson,  however,  is  wrong  in  styling  these  "  Hes- 
sians." They  were  Brunswickers  —  the  Hessians  be- 
ing in  the  southern  department  Bancroft,  also,  falls 
into  this  same  error.  The  above  remark,  neverthe- 
less, applies  with  equal  force  to  the  Brunswickers. 


296  Appendix  III. 

pulled  along  by  his  chain.  In  the  same  manner  a 
tamed  deer  would  be  seen  tripping  lightly  after  a 
grenadier.  Young  foxes  were  also  observed  looking 
sagaciously  at  the  spectators  from  the  top  of  a  bag- 
gage wagon,  or  a  young  racoon  securely  clutched 
under  the  arm  of  a  sharpshooter.  There  were  a 
great  many  women  accompanying  the  Germans,  and 
a  miserable  looking  set  of  oddly  dressed,  gypsy 
featured  females  they  were. 

It  is  said  that  no  insults  were  offered  to  the  pris- 
oners as  they  marched  off,  and  they  felt  grateful  for 
it.  However,  after  they  got  out  of  the  camp,  many 
of  the  British  soldiers  were  extremely  abusive,  curs- 
ing the  rebels  and  their  own  hard  fate.  The  troops 
were  escorted  by  some  of  the  New  England  militia, 
and  crossed  the  river  at  Stillwater,  on  a  bridge  of 
rafts,  which  had  been  constructed  by  the  Americans 
while  the  army  was  encamped  on  Bemis's  heights.* 
On  the  night  of  the  surrender,  a  number  of  Indians 
and  squaws,  the  relics  of  Burgoyne's  aboriginal  force, 

*The  army  of  Burgoyne  was  escorted  by  Gens. 
Glover  and  Whipple  to  Cambridge,  near  Boston  with 
a  competent  guard  of  militia.  "  The  first  night  of  the 
retreat"  [Oct.  7],  writes  Glover  to  Heath,  Oct.  Qth, 
'77,  "we  halted  half  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  them  [the 
British  army];  there  remained  the  whole  night  with 
our  arms  in  our  hands:  not  a  man  slept.  About 
four  in  the  morning,  they  began  to  move.  We 
pushed  on  until  they  were  driven  into  their  strong 
works  on  the  River  Road  [Wilbur's  Basin].  Skir- 


Anecdotes  of  Burgoynes  Campaign.         297 

were  quartered  under  a  strong  guard  for  safe  keep- 
ing. Without  this  precaution  their  lives  would  not 
have  been  safe  from  the  exasperated  militia. 

While  the  British  army  lay  on  the  north  bank  of 
Fisk  creek,  the  east  side  of  the  river,  in  addition  to 
the  regular  troops,  was  lined  with  American  militia. 
One  of  them,  an  expert  swimmer,  discovered  a  num- 
ber of  the  enemy's  horses  feeding  in  a  meadow  of 
General  Schuyler's,  opposite,  and  asked  permission 
of  his  captain  to  go  over  and  get  one  of  them.  It 
was  given,  and  the  man  instantly  stripped,  and  swam 
across  the  river.  He  ascended  the  bank  and  select- 
ing a  fine  bay  horse  for  his  prize,  approached  the 
animal,  seized  and  mounted  him  instantly.  This  last 
was  the  work  of  a  moment.  He  forced  the  horse 

mishing  parties  were  sent  out  the  whole  day  and 
some  prisoners  taken." 

The  following,  also,  is  from  the  journal  of  Ephriam 
Squier,  a  sergeant  in  the  Connecticut  Line  of  the 
Continental  Army  : 

"Oct.  1 7th.  This  morning,  at  4  o'ck,  paraded 
again,  ground  our  arms  at  about  1 1  o'clk,  orders  to 
strike  our  tents  and  load  them  and  march  to  head- 
quarters immediately,  which  we  did  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible and  marched  by  the  road  just  north  of  the 
Meeting  House  so  as  to  see  the  prisoners  march  by 
towards  Head-Quarters,  a  very  agreeable  sight,  I 
thought  for  some  time,  but  was  weary  before  they 
had  all  passed  by,  though  they  marched  brisk,  yet 
they  had  hardly  all  passed  us  by  the  sun  half  an 
hour  high.  They  were  more  than  three  hours  in 
passing." 

38 


298  Appendix  III. 

into  a  gallop,  plunged  down  the  bank  and  brought 
him  safely  over  to  the  American  camp,  although  a 
volley  of  musketry  was  fired  at  him  from  a  party  of 
British  soldiers  posted  at  a  distance  beyond.  His 
success  was  hailed  with  enthusiasm,  and  it  had  a  cor- 
responding effect  on  his  own  adventurous  spirit. 
After  he  had  rested  himself,  he  went  to  his  officer 
and  remarked,  that  it  was  not  proper  that  a  private 
should  ride,  whilst  his  commander  went  on  foot. 
"  So,  sir,"  added  he  "  if  you  have  no  objections,  I  will 
go  and  catch  another  for  you,  and  next  winter  when 
we  are  home,  we  will  have  our  own  fun  in  driving  a 
pair  of  Burgoyne's  horses."  The  captain  seemed  to 
think  it  would  be  rather  a  pleasant  thing  and  gave  a 
ready  consent.  The  fellow  actually  went  across  the 
second  time,  and  with  equal  success,  and  brought 
over  a  horse  that  matched  exceedingly  well  with  the 
other.  The  men  enjoyed  this  prank  very  much,  and 
it  was  a  circumstance  familiar  to  almost  every  one  in 
the  army  at  that  time. 

Another  circumstance  happened  about  the  same 
time,  and  shows  that  families  were  not  only  divided 
in  feeling  on  the  subject  of  the  war,  but  that  the 
natural  ties  which  bind  the  same  kith  and  kin  to- 
gether were  not  always  proof  against  the  political 
animosities  of  the  times.  When  Burgoyne  found  his 
boats  were  not  safe,  and,  in  fact,  much  nearer  the 
main  body  of  the  American  army  than  his  own,  it 
became  necessary  to  land  his  provisions,  of  which  he 
had  already  been  short  for  many  weeks,  in  order  to 


Anecdotes  of  Burgoynes  Campaign.         299 

prevent  his  army  being  actually  starved  into  submis- 
sion. This  was  done  under  a  heavy  fire  from  the 
American  troops,  who  were  posted  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river.  On  one  of  these  occasions  a  per- 
son by  the  name  of  Mr. ,  at  Salem,  and  a  for- 
eigner by  birth,  and  who  had  at  the  very  time  a  son 
in  the  British  army,  crossed  the  river  at  De  Ridder' s* 

*  On  the  east  side  of  the  Hudson  River,  opposite 
Schuylerville,  N.  Y.,  is  the  old  homestead  of  the 
De  Ridder  family.  The  original  house  was  burned 
in  1836,  being  somewhat  nearer  the  road  on  the  east. 
When  the  lands  in  the  patent  of  Saratoga  were  still 
uncultivated,  and  in  great  part  covered  with  wood,  it 
was  then  that  three  young  and  robust  men,  Killian 
De  Ridder,  Philip  Schuyler  (who  was  shot  in  1745), 

and Winne,  started  from  the  city  of  Albany  with 

packs  upon  their  backs,  and  penetrated  the  wilds  of  the 
upper  Hudson  till  they  reached  this  neighborhood. 
Here  they  settled  and  cultivated  the  land,  enduring 
the  perilous  and  toilsome  vicissitudes  of  a  frontier 
life.  The  fire  which  destroyed  the  old  family  man- 
sion also  destroyed  a  great  number  of  old  and  curi- 
ous books,  papers  and  collected  relics  and  memen- 
toes. One  of  the  things  which  escaped  the  ravages 
of  the  fire  was  an  old  Dutch  family  Bible.  Upon  its 
title  page  is  the  following  sentence,  explanatory  of 
its  name  and  the  date  of  publication,  etc.:  "  Gedaen 
ter  Vergaderinge  van  de  Hoogh  gemelte  Staten 
Generael.  In  den  Hage  den  29,  Julij,  1637.  Was 
gegparaphreert,  A.  Ploss,  Van  Amstel,  Onder  stont, 
Ter  Ordenmantie  van  deselve.  Geteechent,  Cornelis 
Musch."  From  the  family  register  it  appears  that 
Simon  De  Ridder,  son  of  Killian,  "was  born  the  2Oth 


300  Appendix  III. 

with  a  person  by  the  name  of  M'Neil ;  they  went  in 
a  canoe,  and  arriving  opposite  to  the  place  intended, 
crossed  over  to  the  western  bank,  on  which  a  redoubt 

day  of  December,  1765,  on  Thursday  morning  at  4 
o'clock,  Walter  and  Annatie  Becker,  sponsors."  It  is 
perceived  that  the  custom  of  baptizing  children  on 
the  day  of  their  birth  was  followed  by  this  early 
family.  Simon  De  Ridder  was  married  to  Catherine 
Becker,  daughter  of  John  A.  and  Hannah  Becker, 
February  15,  1786.  His  second  wife,  Maria  Van 
Schaick,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Geertie  Van  Schaick, 
he  married  February  i5th,  1790.  He  died  July  i3th, 
1832.  He  took  a  very  prominent  part  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  was  known  as  General  Simon  De  Ridder. 
Several  of  the  descendants  of  the  De  Ridder  family 
and  their  connections  are  still  living  and  hold  posi- 
tions of  great  trust,  besides  being  influential  mem- 
bers of  their  respective  communities.  Mr.  J.  H.  De 
Ridder,  cashier  of  the  Citizens's  National  Bank  of 
Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.,  takes  great  pride  (and  de- 
servedly) of  his  ancestors.  The  late  wife,  also,  of 
Charles  W.  Mayhew,  for  many  years  the  honored 
superintendent  of  the  Victory  Mills,  of  Schuylerville, 
N.  Y.,  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  Col.  Walter  De 
Ridder,  who  was  in  the  War  of  1812.  His  father  was 
the  Gen.  Samuel  De  Ridder  above  mentioned,  who  was 
contemporary  with  Philip  Schuyler,  2d.,  son  of  Gen. 
Schuyler,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  and  were  great 
friends.  The  De  Ridders,  as  above  stated,  settled  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Hudson,  and  the  Schuylers  on 
the  west,  both  owning  large  tracts  of  land.  The 
ancestor  of  Mr.  Mayhew  was  Thomas  Mayhew,  who 
came  to  America  early  in  1600  removing  from  Water- 
town,  Mass.,  in  1642,  began  the  settlement  at  Edgar- 


Anecdotes  of  Burgoynes  Campaign.         301 

called  Fort  Lawrence  had  been  erected.  They 
crawled  up  the  bank  with  their  arms  in  their  hands, 
and  peeping  over  the  upper  edge,  they  saw  a  man  in 
a  blanket  coat  loading  a  cart.  They  instantly  raised 
their  guns  to  fire,  an  action  more  savage  than  com- 
mendable. At  the  moment  the  man  turned  so  as  to 
be  more  plainly  seen,  old  Mr. said  to  his  com- 
panion, now  that's  my  own  son  Hughy,  but  I'll  be  d — 'd 
for  a'  that  if  I  sill  not  gi'  him  a  shot.  He  then  actu- 
ally fired  at  his  own  son,  as  the  person  really  proved 
to  be,  but  happily  without  effect.  Having  heard  the 
noise  made  by  their  conversation,  and  the  cocking  of 
their  pieces,  which  the  nearness  of  his  position  ren- 
dered perfectly  practicable,  he  ran  round  the  cart  and 
the  balls  lodged  in  the  felloe  of  the  wheel.  The  re- 
port drew  the  attention  of  the  neighboring  guards, 
and  the  two  marauders  were  driven  from  their  lurk- 
ing place.  While  retreating  with  all  possible  speed 
M'Neil  was  wounded  in  the  shoulder,  and  while  alive 
carried  the  wound  about  unhealed  to  his  last  day. 
Had  the  ball  struck  the  old  Scotchman,  it  is  ques- 
tionable whether  any  one  would  have  considered  it 
more  than  even-handed  justice,  commending  the 
chalice  to  his  own  lips. 

town,  Martha's  Vineyard,  and  was  Governor  and 
patentee  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  Nantucket  and  Eliza- 
beth Isles,  preaching  there  73  years.  Mr.  Mayhew 
is  in  the  eighth  generation.  Mr.  Mayhew  has  the 
"Mayhew  Tree"  from  which  these  facts  are  taken, 
and  which  brings  the  family  up  to  i855.j 


APPENDIX  IV. 


PRESENT    APPEARANCE    OF    THE    SARATOGA 
BATTLE   GROUNDS. 

It  has  often  been  said  that  there  is  now  nothing 
left  on  the  ground  where  the  Battles  of  Saratoga 
were  fought,  to  distinguish  the  places  where  our  pat- 
riot fathers  gained  memorable  victories  ;  that  the 
trenches  have  been  filled  in,  the  breastworks  oblit- 
erated, and  the  whole  battle  ground  turned  into  cul- 
tivated fields  and  luxuriant  pastures,  where  flocks 
and  herds  are  quietly  grazing. 

These  statements,  however,  are  most  erroneous. 
On  the  contrary,  the  face  of  the  country  has  under- 
gone scarcely  any  change  ;  the  same  trees,  the  same 
brooks,  and  even  the  same  stones  and  bridges  re- 
maining in  the  precise  localities  where  they  were 
sketched  by  Burgoyne's  engineers.  In  fact,  it  may 
truthfully  be  said  that  both  the  Saratoga  Battle  and 
Surrender  Grounds  are,  perhaps,  the  only  Revolu- 
tionary spots  which  yet  retain  numerous  traces  to 
recall  the  memories  of  the  stirring  scenes  enacted 
on  their  sites.  Among  these  may  be  mentioned  the 
following,  which  still  (1895)  exist : 


Present  Appearance  of  Battle  Grounds.        303 


breastworks  which  surrounded  Riede- 
sel's  Brunwickers,  and  at  the  south-eastern  extremity 
of  which  the  Hanau  artillery,  under  Captain  Pausch, 
was  placed  (enclosing  an  area  of,  perhaps,  twenty 
acres),  are  yet  easily  traced,  being  still  two,  and  in 
some  places  five  feet  high.  In  the  center  of  this 
space,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  dense  wood,  is  seen  the 
old  camp  well  used  by  this  portion  of  Burgoyne's 
army. 

Second—  -T\te  traces  of  Breyman's  intrenchments 
are  yet  to  be  seen  very  plainly.  The  place  is  con- 
siderably elevated  by  nature,  and  is  known  among 
the  farmers  in  the  vicinity  as  Burgoyne's  Hill. 
Properly,  it  should  be  Breyman's  Hill.  It  was  at 
the  northeast  corner  of  this  eminence  that  Arnold 
was  wounded. 

Third—  -The  stump  of  the  basswood  tree,  with 
another  large  tree  grown  out  of  its  top,  under  which 
General  Eraser  was  seated  on  his  horse  when  mor- 
tally wounded  by  Morgan's  sharpshooter,  Pat  Mur- 
phy, yet  stands  by  the  side  of  the  road. 

Fourth  —  The  house  which  was  the  headquarters 
of  Generals  Arnold,  Learned  and  Poor,  before,  dur- 
ing and  after  the  two  actions,  is  still  standing  in  ex- 
cellent preservation. 

7*y/"M--The  barn  which  served  as  a  hospital  for 
the  wounded  Americans,  remains  to  mark  the  spot 
where  so  many  gallant  men  suffered  and  died,  the 
timbers  of  which  are  as  solid  as  when  first  put  in. 


304  Appendix  IV. 

Sixth — The  foundations  and  cellar  of  the  house 
in  which  General  Fraser  died  while  being  ministered 
to  by  Madam  Riedesel,  are  yet  clearly  seen  by  the 
river  bank. 

Seventh  —  The  "Ensign  House,"  which  received 
a  portion  of  Burgoyne's  wounded,  together  with  the 
tall  Dutch  clock  which  ticked  off  the  numbered  min- 
utes of  the  dying,  still  remain. 

Eighth  —  The  sleepers  of  the  bridge  which  Bur- 
goyne  threw  across  the  "great  ravine,"  just  before  he 
crossed  it  to  fall  in  with  the  scouting  party  of  Morgan 
on  the  afternoon  of  the  iQth,  are  perfectly  sound. 

Ninth  —  Numerous  trees,  which  were  standing  at 
the  time  of  the  battles,  still  keep  in  their  trunks  the 
bullets  fired  from  the  guns  of  Cilley's  New  Hamp- 
shire troops.* 

Tenth.  Not  a  season  passes  that  cannon  balls, 
grape  shot,  skeletons,  stone  and  iron  tomahawks, 
short  carbines,  used  by  the  German  yagers,  and  simi- 
lar relics,  are  not  plowed  up  by  the  husbandman. 

Leaving  now  the  battle  grounds  proper  and  follow- 
ing the  river  road  along  the  line  of  the  retreat  and 
pursuit  from  Wilbur's  Basin  to  Saratoga  (now  Schuy- 
lerville),  the  traveler  is  confronted  by  many  souve- 

*  While  at  Saratoga,  this  last  summer,  a  farmer 
brought  in  a  load  of  wood  cut  from  the  battle-field. 
One  of  the  sticks  had'  embedded  in  it  twelve  grape 
shot.  This  stick  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  H. 
B.  Hanson  of  Saratoga  Springs,  an  exceedingly 
worthy  citizen  and  patriotic  gentleman. 


Present  Appearance  of  Battle  Grounds.        305 

nirs  of  a  similar  character.  Chief  among  these  may 
be  mentioned,  first ;  the  foundations  of  the  "  Dove- 
gat  House"  at  Coveville,  in  which  Burgoyne  and  his 
staff  rested  for  one  night,  both  on  the  advance  and 
on  the  retreat,  and  which  is  rendered  additionally 
interesting  from  its  having  been  the  starting  point  of 
Lady  Acland,  when,  accompanied  by  Parson  Brude- 
nell,  she  set  out  in  a  frail  boat,  and  in  the  midst  of 
darkness  and  a  cold  autumnal  storm,  to  rejoin  her  hus- 
band then  lying  wounded  in  the  American  camp;  and, 
secondly;  <(  Sword's  House,"  the  cellar  bricks  of  which 
still  are  visible,  and  around  which  the  British  army 
encamped  on  the  evening,  previous  to  the  action  of 
September  19.  Arrived  at  Schuylerville,  the  tourist 
of  to-day  may  see  the  high  breastworks  of  Gates'  in- 
trenched army,  whence  was  thrown  the  cannon  ball 
which  took  off  the  leg  of  mutton  from  the  table 
around  which  Burgoyne  and  his  officers  were  seated. 
A  little  way  from  this,  on  the  north  side  of  Fish 
creek,  Morgan's  intrenchments,  several  feet  in  height, 
are  easily  traced.  The  breastworks,  also,  of  Gene- 
ral Fellows,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Battenkill  and 
the  east  bank  of  the  Hudson,  are  nearly  as  high  at 
the  present  time  as  when  they  contained  the  cannon 
from  which  was  thrown  the  ball  that  took  off  the  leg 
of  the  British  surgeon,  Jones  (see  Madam  Riede- 
el's  Memoirs).  Again,  on  the  north,  the  plow  has  not 
yet  leveled  the  intrenchments  hastily  thrown  up  by 
Stark,  who  thus  made  the  investiture  of  the  British 
army  complete  —  catching  it,  as  it  were,  like  a  mouse 
39 


306  Appendix  IV. 

in  a  trap ;  while  the  cellar  in  which  Mrs.  Riedesel 
took  refuge,  with  her  children,  during  the  cannonade 
from  Fellows'  batteries,  is  kept  in  excellent  condition 
by  Mrs.  Marshall,  who  lives  in  the  house  and  takes 
patriotic  pride  in  its  possession ;  and  finally  the  exact 
place  where  the  British  crossed  the  Hudson,  just 
below  the  Saratoga  Falls  about  two  miles  above 
Schuylerville,  is  marked  by  the  intrenchments  which 
were  at  that  time  thrown  up  to  cover  the  passage  up 
the  river,  and  which  can  still  be  seen  very  plainly.  They 
are  three  hundred  feet  in  length  and  from  four  to  five 
feet  high,  but  are  overgrown  with  scrub  pines.  Mr. 
Rogers,  whose  grandfather  lived  on  the  farm  at  the 
time,  informed  me  that  within  thirty  years  the  wooden 
platforms  for  the  cannon  were  in  existence  behind 
the  intrenchment.  The  survey  of  the  railroad  from 
Greenwich  to  Saratoga  Springs  was  through  these 
intrenchments.  Surely  these  various  objects  of  inter- 
est all  lying  within  a  comparative  stone's  throw  of  the 
actual  surrender  ground,  furnish  —  even  more  than 
those  on  the  immediate  battle-field  —  lasting  memo- 
rials of  a  conquered  army. 


APPENDIX  V. 


MRS.    WALWORTH'S  LETTER.* 

New  York,  March  20,  1894. 
WM.  L.  STONE,  ESQ. 

DEAR  SIR  :  The  very  name  of  your  proposed  book, 
"  Visits  to  the  Saratoga  Battle  Grounds,"  suggests  a 
host  of  delightful  associations  to  my  mind.  My  first 
visit  to  the  Saratoga  battle  ground  was,  when  a  very 
young  girl,  I  accompanied  Chancellor  Walworth, 
afterward  my  father-in-law.  Those  who  knew  him 
and  the  fulness  of  knowledge  which  he  held  of  every 
subject  on  which  he  would  dilate,  and  his  extreme 
accuracy  of  statement  can  appreciate  the  value  of 
such  companionship.  Fresh  as  I  then  was  from  the 
memory  of  the  supreme  sacrifice  my  own  father  had 
made  for  his  country  on  the  field  of  Buena  Vista, 
this  visit  to  the  ground  where  my  great-grandfather 
had  fought  and  received  special  honors,  was  a 
marked  event  in  my  young  life.  The  Chancellor 
took  me  to  every  point  of  known  interest;  we  entered 

*  This  letter  may  be  considered  as  an  introduction 
to  the  following  appendix  on  the  "  Tablets." 


308  Appendix   V. 

every  house  and  examined  the  premises  and  the  relics, 
and  talked  with  the  old  people. 

Twenty  years  elapsed  between  that  visit  and  an- 
other, when  with  copies  of  military  maps,  and  notes 
from  books  sought  out  in  the  State  library  at  Albany 
I  once  more  wandered  over  the  battle  ground  with 
my  older  children,  who  helped  me  to  trace  the  old 
points  of  interest.  Some  of  the  houses,  notably  the 
one  in  which  General  Fraser  died  and  the  one  that 
had  been  General  Gates'  headquarters,  were  entirely 
destroyed  ;  and  only  by  turning  over  the  soil  were 
traces  found  of  the  old  foundations  and  cellars. 
The  earth-works  were,  in  many  places,  quite  leveled 
and  other  works  of  the  revolutionary  struggle  were 
obliterated.  We  saw,  however,  what  had  escaped  the 
knowledge  of  the  Chancellor,  remains  of  the  old 
military  road  through  the  woods  from  the  river  to 
Breyman's  Hill,  and  clear  evidences  of  the  revolu- 
tionary bridge  thrown  over  the  ravine  near  the  foot 
of  the  hill  for  the  passage  of  artillery.  Now,  alas  ! 
the  least  vestige  of  all  this  is  gone  and  much  more 
that  told  its  record  of  the  past.  When  will  our 
countrymen  believe  that  not  in  books  alone  are  the 
records  of  a  nation  to  be  kept?  If  our  " Saratoga 
Monument  Association,"  or  the  government  owned 
this  great  battle  field  it  would  tell  its  own  story  to  the 
school  children  and  to  the  indifferent  grown  people 
and  lead  them  to  value  the  national  life  that  was  at 
stake  on  this  ground.  If  Burgoyne  and  his  army 
had  passed  over  it  victoriously,  our  boasted  freedom 


Mrs.   WalwortJis  Letter.  309 

would  probably  at  his  day  still  be  rocked  in  the 
cradle  of  colonial  conservatism.  It  will  be  long  be- 
fore we  pay  our  full  debt  of  gratitude  to  Saratoga 
and  to  France,  so  indissolubly  linked  in  the  events  of 
1777. 

Another  visit  among  many  I  have  made  to  the 
battle  ground  since  that  time  was  memorable  when  I 
was  accompanied  by  the  late  Joseph  W.  Drexel, 
Captain  A.  de  R.  McNair,  U.  S.  N.,  and  our  friend,  the 
late  George  Ensign,  who  had  lived  all  of  his  life  on  the 
battle  ground.  The  mutual  enthusiasm  of  this 
earnest,  single-minded  farmer,  and  the  accomplished 
man  of  the  world,  J.  W.  Drexel,  was  an  inspiration 
to  the  whole  party:  my  daughter  accompanied  us. 
With  light  wagons  we  drove  from  place  to  place,  over 
fields  and  meadows  as  well  as  roads,  stopping  at  every 
point  of  note,  as  Mr.  Ensign  and  I  led  the  way,  to 
exclaim  on  the  beauty  of  the  scene,  the  interest  of 
the  locality  or  to  consult  about  the  best  point  for  the 
proposed  tablets.  One  after  another  of  us  standing 
up  in  a  wagon,  pointing  and  declaiming,  a  spectator 
might  have  supposed  we  were  making  stump  speeches, 
so  eager  and  enthusiastic  was  the  interest  expressed 
during  this  whole  day  which  was  spent  on  the  field, 
with  the  exception  of  an  hour  at  noon.  At  the  old 
historic  Bemus  Tavern  we  and  our  horses  found  rest 
and  refreshment. 

That  visit  was  a  prelude  to  one  succeeding  it,  made 
with  my  son  and  a  negro  man  who  belonged  to  the 
old  set  of  "  colored  people  "  who  are  descendants  of 


310  Appendix   V. 

those  who  were  once  slaves  to  the  Schuylers  and 
other  "  county  families."  I  drove  carefully  over  the 
ground;  and  at  each  point,  we  had  formerly  selected, 
had  a  heavy  stake  driven  in  the  ground.  This  was  a 
mark  for  the  preparation  of  the  soil  for  tablets  that 
were  to  be  permanent  memorials  of  the  heroism  and 
the  results  of  the  contest  on  the  field  of  Saratoga. 
You  know  how  unceasing  the  labor  has  been  to  com- 
plete that  work. 

ELLEN  HARDIN  WALWORTH. 


APPENDIX  VI. 


THE  TABLETS  ON  THE  BATTLE-GROUNDS. 

The  several  points  of  interest  on  the  battle-grounds 
which  are  marked,  respectively,  by  tablets* — thirteen 
in  number  —  are  as  follows: 

First — The  advanced  entrenchments  on  the  "  River 
Road  "  (Mile  Creek)  ;  the  gift  of  the  late  Hamilton 
Fish  of  New  York  city,  the  first  president  of  the 
"  Saratoga  Monument  Association."  The  inscription 
reads  :  "  IN  MEMORY  OF  NICHOLAS  FISH,  MAJOR  2d 
N.  Y.  REG  :  ENGAGED  IN  THE  BATTLE  ON  THESE 
GROUNDS.  SARATOGA,  1777." 

Second —  Breyman's  Hill,  where  Arnold  was 
wounded  ;  the  gift  of  Gen.  J.  Watts  de  Peyster  of 
Tivoli,  N.  Y. 

Third —  Balcarras's  Redoubt  ;  the  gift  of  General 
M.  D.  Hardin,  in  memory  of  his  great-grandfather, 

*  These  tablets  are  all  of  granite,  about  four  feet 
and  a  half  high,  some  with  round  and  others  with 
pyramidal  tops.  The  one  at  "  Freeman's  Farm  "  is 
the  most  massive,  being  three  and  a  half  feet  in 
width  by  two  in  thickness,  and  which,  as  before 
stated,  have  been  erected  solely  by  the  continuous, 
urgent  and  patriotic  efforts  of  Mrs.  E.  H.  Walworth. 


3 1 2  Appendtx   VI. 

Colonel  John  Hardin,  who,  as  a  lieutenant  in  Mor- 
gan's Corps,  was  in  both  battles  and  was  also  present 
at  the  surrender.  This  tablet  is  a  short  distance  from 
the  one  formerly  erected  in  1877,  in  special  com- 
memoration of  the  battle  of  September  19,  1777. 
These  two  tablets,  with  the  one  erected  in  memory 
of  Arnold's  bravery  on  Breyman's  Hill,  form  the 
first  group  of  tablets  to  be  seen  on  approaching  the 
field  from  Saratoga  Springs. 

Fourth  —  The  Great  Ravine,  where  the  battle 
raged  the  fiercest ;  the  gift  of  Mrs.  Estelle  Willoughby. 
This  is  close  to  the  bridge  between  Freeman's  Farm 
and  Neilson's,  and  with  the  tablets  erected  to  com- 
memorate the  fall  of  General  Fraser,  and  to  mark  the 
British  line  of  battle,  form  the  second  group  of  tablets 
in  continuing  a  visit  to  the  field. 

Fifth  —  The  British  Line  of  Battle ;  the  gift  of 
Mrs.  J.  V.  L.  Pruyn  of  Albany,  N.  Y.  Mrs.  Pruyn 
is  the  widow  of  the  late  Chancellor  Pruyn,  one  of  the 
vice-presidents  of  the  S.  M.  A.  This  tablet  reads  : 
SARATOGA  1 777.  HERE  THE  FIRST  ASSAULT  WAS  MADE 
BY  THE  AMERICANS  ON  THE  BRITISH  LINE  OF  BATTLE, 
OCTOBER  7.  IN  MEMORY  OF  JOHN  V.  L.  PRUYN. 

Sixth  —  Gates's  Headquarters;  the  gift  of  George 
M.  Pullman  of  Chicago,  111. 

Seventh —  Fort  Neilson;  the  gift  of  James  M.  Mar- 
vin of  Saratoga  Springs,  N.  Y.,  one  of  the  vice-presi- 
dents of  the  S.  M.  A.  The  tablet  reads :  SARATOGA, 
1777.  FORT  NEILSON.  THE  GIFT  OF  JAMES  M.  MAR- 
VIN. 


The   Tablets  of  the  Battle-Grounds.          313 

The  site  of  Fort  Neilson  is  still  (1895)  marked  by 
a  depression  in  the  soil,  which  marks  the  Headquar- 
ters of  Gates.  This  high  ground,  on  which  rested 
the  American  left,  was  strongly  fortified,  and  the 
works  were  called  Fort  Neilson,  after  the  man  who 
owned  the  ground.  An  old  wood-colored  house  with 
dormer  windows,  and  having  near  it  a  few  poplar 
trees,  stands  here,  and  is  interesting  from  the  fact 
that  a  part  of  it  dates  from  1777,  when  it  was  occu- 
pied by  Gen.  Poor  and  Col.  Morgan. 

Eighth—  Morgan's  Hill.  This  gift  of  Mrs.  V.  N. 
Taylor  stands  in  a  prominent  place  about  half  a  mile 
beyond  the  second  group,  and  on  the  ground  on 
which  Morgan  made  his  famous  charge  on  Frazier's 
division. 

Ninth  —  Final  point  of  the  retreat  of  the  British, 
Oct.  7,  1777,  the  gift  of  the  late  Hon.  Webster  Wag- 
ner, State  Senator  for  New  York. 

Tenth --^^  site  of  the  old  Bemus  Heights  Tav- 
ern, the  gift  of  the  late  Giles  B.  Slocum  of  Detroit, 
Mich.  The  inscription  is  as  follows:  SARATOGA,  1777. 
THE  SITE  OF  BEMUS  TAVERN.  THE  GIFT  OF  GILES 
B.  SLOCUM. 

This  tablet,  which  also  marks  the  river  intrench- 
ments  and  the  Pontoon  Bridge  across  the  Hudson 
river,  is  located  near  the  Bemus  Heights  Tavern,  and, 
with  the  one  formerly  erected  at  that  point  and  two 
others  on  the  River  road,  form  the  third  group,  be- 
sides the  large  tablet  on  Neilson's  place,  which  stands 

alone. 

40 


3 1 4  Appendix   VI. 

Eleventh--  The  tree  under  which  Fraser  fell :  the 
gift  of  Joseph  W.  Drexel.  The  inscription  is  as  fol- 
lows :  HERE  FRASER  FELL,  OCTOBER  7,  1777.  His 

FORCES    SCATTERED     BY    MORGAN'S      RlFLEMEN.       GlFT 

OF  J.  W.  DREXEL. 

The  tree  stands  on  the  stump  of  the  original  tree 
which  has  grown  from  the  stump  (which  stump  is 
still  [1895],  plainly  seen)  of  the  tree  under  which 
Fraser  received  his  death  wound. 

Twelfth  —  Freeman's  Farm,  the  gift  of  Hon. 
George  W.  West  of  Ballston  Spa.,  N.  Y.  The  in- 
scription is  as  follows:  SARATOGA,  1777.  THE  BAT- 
TLE OF  SEPTEMBER  IQTH.  FREEMAN'S  FARM.  THE 
GIFT  OF  HON.  GEORGE  WEST.* 

*The  ground  here  is  slightly  elevated,  and  on  it  and 
Breyman's  Hill,  a  short  distance  north,  Burgoyne's 
flank  defenses  were  located.  Nearly  all  the  fighting 
was  done  in  this  immediate  neighborhood,  A  man 
standing  at  the  tablet  can  easily  make  his  voice  heard 
on  the  field  of  the  iQth  of  September  to  the  south, 
on  that  of  the  7th  of  October,  west,  and  on  Breyman's 
Hill  farm.  His  halloo  could  possibly  be  heard  at 
Bemus's  Heights,  which  with  its  poplars  can  be  seen 
a  mile  to  the  south.  The  engagement  of  the  iQth  of 
September,  was  probably  the  hardest  fought  of  any 
in  the  history  of  this  continent.  A  portion  of  the 
ground  on  which  it  was  fought  was  covered  with 
shocks  of  corn.  In  the  battle  of  the  7th  of  October, 
the  Americans  exhibited  great  valor,  dislodging  the 
enemy  from  his  position,  and  compelling  him  to 
seek  shelter  in  his  intrenchments.  These  were 


The   Tablets  of  the  Battle-Grounds.          315 

Thirteenth  —  The  breastworks  of  Gates's  fortifica- 
tions erected  by  Kosciusko. 

assaulted  successfully  on  the  British  right,  and  it 
was  at  this  time  that  Arnold  was  wounded  in  the 
thigh,  his  horse  falling  dead  as  he  was  riding  into 
the  enemy's  works  on  Breyman's  Hill.  This  eleva- 
tion is  so  called  from  Col.  Breyman,  who  commanded 
the  Hessians  troops,  occupying  it. 


APPENDIX  VII. 


JOTHAM    BEMUS,    OF    BEMUS'S    HEIGHTS.— BY 
DANIEL  HAZELTINE  POST. 

Considerable  interest  naturally  attaches  to  the- 
family  which  owned  and  occupied  the  ground  chosen 
by  Gen.  Gates  on  the  advice  of  Count  Kosciusko  for 
the  American  defensive  works  against  Burgoyne's 
onward  march  in  1777,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
family  name  became  forever  associated  with  the  im- 
portant battles  fought  in  the  vicinity,  and  that  mem- 
bers of  the  family  took  part  in  them  upon  the 
American  side,  literally  defending  their  home  and 
fireside.  There  is  a  considerable  amount  of  infor- 
mation in  regard  to  this  family  existing,  but,  scattered 
through  various  volumes  and  never  before  collected 
together  in  a  single  article,  it  has  been  of  little  use 
to  the  historical  reader  or  to  the  descendants  of  the 
original  settlers.  To  briefly  give  a  summary  of  this 
information  is  the  object  of  this  sketch. 

At  the  time  of  the  Burgoyne  campaign  there  were 
living  upon  the  west  bank  of  the  Hudson,  about  four 
miles  north  of  the  village  of  Stillwater,  Jotham 
Bemus  and  his  family,  which  consisted  of  his  wife 
and  six  children.  Bemus,  was  a  farmer,  energetic 


Jotham  Betmis,  of  Bemus  Heights.  3 1 7 

and  enterprising,  engaged  in  buying  cattle  and  in 
other  traffic,  and  was  evidently  a  man  in  easy  circum- 
stances. He  kept  the  only  tavern  of  any  note  be- 
tween Albany  and  Fort  Edward,  and  was  well  known 
through  all  the  region.  He  was,  also,  in  1774,  a  justice 
of  the  peace.  He  was  born  about  1738  and  conse- 
quently was  about  40  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the 
Burgoyne  campaign.  He  is  described  as  of  stout 
build,  and  of  a  vigorous  and  determined  character. 
From  Charles  Neilson's  account  of  Burgoyne's  cam- 
paign, published  in  1844,  it  is  learned  at  page  289 
that  Bemus's  house  was  the  only  frame  dwelling  in- 
cluded within  the  limits  of  the  military  operations  at 
the  Heights. 

At  the  time  of  the  battles  the  family  had  been 
residents  in  the  vicinity  for  at  least  1 7  years,  for  the 
Calendar  of  Land  Papers  in  the  State  Library,  164, 
September  9,  1763,  page  325,  records  that  in  1760 
the  families  of  Bemus,  Griffith  and  Park  were  occu- 
pying lands  in  this  region.  There  is  a  strong  proba- 
bility that  these  families  came  to  this  region  from  Nor- 
wich, Conn.  Jeremiah  Griffith,  who  afterwards  settled 
in  Chautauqua  County,  was  born  in  Norwich  in  July, 
1758,  went  to  Rensselaer  County,  from  which  he 
emigrated  to  Chautauqua  County  (See  Young's  His- 
tory of  Chautauqua  Coimty,  pp.  315-323).  In 
Hurd's  History  of  New  London  County,  1882,  among 
the  inhabitants  of  New  London  in  1651  occur  the 
names  of  Bemas  and  Park.  Jotham  Bemus,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  married  to  Tryphena  Moore, 


318  Appendix   VII. 

and  the  History  of  New  London  County  gives  the 
names  of  a  family  of  Moores  as  living  in  that  county 
previous  to  1689.  These  facts  indicate  strongly  that 
the  Bemus  family  came  to  Saratoga  from  near  Nor- 
wich, Conn.,  and  this  is  further  corroborated  by  the 
following  from  Bond's  Genealogies  and  History  of 
Watertown,  Mass.,  2d  edition,  page  680,  2d  volume  : 
"  It  is  conjectured  that  the  following  Bemis  family 
are  descendants  from  Ephraim  Bemis :  Jotham 
Bemis  and  wife  Tryphenia,/r0w  Connecticut,  settled 
early  in  Saratoga  County,  N.  Y.,  on  the  margin  of 
the  Hudson  River,  etc." 

It  is  believed  by  the  writer  that  in  the  battles  oc- 
curring near  the  Heights  Jotham  Bemus  and  three 
of  his  sons  took  part.  This  has  always  been  a  family 
tradition  and  considerable  evidence  exists  to  prove 
its  truth.  William  Marvin  of  North  East,  Pa.,  a 
descendant  of  Jotham  Bemus,  now  living  (1894),  re- 
cently wrote :  "  I  think  from  what  I  have  heard  that 
your  great  great  grandfather  (Jotham  Bemus,  Sen.) 
and  his  two  sons,  Jotham  and  William,  were  all  in 
the  army,  and  all  in  the  battles  of  Bemus's  Heights." 
Mr.  Marvin  also  writes  that  he  has  heard  William 
Bemus,  son  of  Jotham,  Sen.,  relate  his  army  experi- 
ences, and  that  his  impressions  of  the  occurrences 
are  thus  derived  from  personal  conversation  with  one 
who  participated  in  the  battles. 

Jotham  Bemus,  Jr.,  the  first  child  of  Jotham,  Sen., 
certainly  was  in  the  American  Army  as  shown  by 
the  Archives  of  New  York,  volume  I,  page  250. 


Jotham  B emits,  of  Bemus  Heights.  3 1 9 

"  BEMUS,  JOTHAM,  Corpl.  Rhode  Island  Regt., 
Jeremiah  Olney,  Lt.  Col.  commanding.  Enlisted  in 
Col.  Van  Schaick's  for  i  year,  '76.  Served  6  years, 
i  month,  10  days.  Discharged  by  General  Washing- 
ton Jan.  15/83.  A.  P.  17-62.  Town  of  Saratoga, 
badge  of  merit." 

William  Bemus,  the  second  child  of  Jotham 
Bemus,  Sen.,  was  a  member  of  Captain  Ephraim 
Woodworth's  company,  the  4th,  in  the  i3th  regiment, 
Saratoga  district,  known  as  the  Saratoga  regiment. 
Col.  Van  Vechten  (or  Van  Veghten),  who  was  on 
Gates's  staff,  was  the  regimental  commander.  He 
lived  at  Dove-gat,  or  Van  Vechten's  Cove,  between 
Bemus's  Heights  and  Schuylerville.  Captain  Wood- 
worth  was  also  a  neighbor  of  the  Bemuses,  his  house, 
about  half  a  mile  back  of  theirs,  being  used  by  Gen. 
Gates  as  headquarters,  after  he  left  the  Bemus  house. 
Col.  John  McCrea  was  at  one  time  commandant  of 
the  "  Saratoga  regiment."  The  tragic  death  of  his 
sister,  Jane  McCrea,  formed  a  leading  incident  of 
the  Burgoyne  campaign.  (See  Archives,  volume  I, 
page  322,  for  reference  to  William  Bemus,  also  page 
271,  volume  i,  for  reference  to  Saratoga  regiment.) 
That  the  third  son,  John,  also  took  part  in  the 
struggle  is  evident  from  the  following  extract  from 
his  obituary  notice  published  in  the  Saratoga  Senti- 
nel,  Sept.  15,  1829:  "*  *  Though  young  he  was 
in  the  American  service  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne 
as  a  teamster  *." 

The  Bemus  house  was  used  by  General  Burgoyne 


320  Appendix   VII. 

as  headquarters  for  a  time.  When  the  extension  of 
the  American  fortifications,  after  the  first  battle,  was 
completed,  Gates  moved  his  headquarters  to  the 
house  of  Captain  Ephraim  Woodworth  on  the 
Heights.  After  the  battle  of  Sept.  19,  the  Bemus 
house  was  also  used  by  General  Lincoln  as  head- 
quarters. The  fate  of  the  Bemus  house  is  estab- 
lished by  a  letter  from  Rev.  S.  Hawley  Adams,  of 
Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  printed  in  Stone's  Burgoyne  Bal- 
lads, in  which  he  says  :  "  My  grandmother,  Salley 
Bemus  Crawford  (daughter  of  Jotham  Bemus,  Sen.), 
was  born  at  Bemus  Heights,  May,  1768.  *  *  She 
has  spent  hours  in  telling  me  of  '  Burgine,'  and  his 
army  which  she  saw  ;  of  the  burning  of  her  father's 
house  by  the  British,  and  of  the  sufferings  of  the 
family  for  a  time  while  they  were  wintering  in  a 
barn  —  Burgoyne  having  destroyed  all  their  build- 
ings and  crops."  Though  no  mention  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  house  appears  in  any  of  the  accounts  of  the 
battles,  it  is  evident  that  it  was  burned  in  some  foray 
of  the  enemy  after  it  had  been  abandoned  by  Gates 
and  Lincoln  as  headquarters.  It  was  on  the  extreme 
flank  of  the  American  lines,  and  probably  more  or 
less  unprotected  after  the  first  day's  fighting,  the 
troops  being  massed  at  some  distance  from  the  river, 
near  Fort  Neilson. 

The  site  of  the  Bemus  house  is  now  marked  by  a 
stone     tablet    bearing    the     following    inscription : 
•SARATOGA,    1777.      THE  SITE  OF  BEMUS  TAVERN. 
THE  GIFT  OF  GILES  B.  SLOCUM." 


Jot  ham  Bemus,  of  B  emus  Heights.  321 

The  Bemus  Heights  farm  is  now  the  property  of 
the  Hon.  James  B.  Jermain,  the  well-known  philan- 
thropist of  Albany. 

JOTHAM  BEMUS,  SEN.,  who  was  born  about  1738, 
died,  it  is  believed,  about  the  year  i  786,  at  the  age 
of  48  years.  This  date,  by  some  members  of  the 
family,  is  thought  to  be  too  early.  His  first  wife 
was  Tryphena  Moore,  who  was  of  Scotch  descent. 
She  was  a  woman  of  much  refinement  and  culture. 
In  an  old  family  Bible  in  possession  of  some  of  the  de- 
scendants of  Jotham  Bemus,  Sen.,  at  Bemus  Point, 
Chaut.  Co.,  N.  Y.,  is  the  following  list  of  his  children  : 
JOTHAM,  WILLIAM,  JOHN,  SALLY,  JAMES,  NANCY. 

This  meagre  record  can  be  filled  out  to  some  con- 
siderable extent  in  the  case  of  two  of  the  children, 
William  and  Sally.  Concerning  the  others  but  little 
is  known.  Following  is  the  information  concerning 
each  of  the  children  so  far  as  obtained.  The  first 
four  children  were  by  Jotham  Bemus's  first  wife, 
Tryphena  Moore,  the  fifth  child  by  a  second  wife 
whose  maiden  name  is  unknown.  The  u  Nancy" 
whose  name  is  given  above  was  not  a  child  of 
Jotham  Bemus,  but  was  the  child  of  his  second  wife 
by  a  previous  marriage.  She  married  a  Hudson, 
and  lived  in  Chatham,  N.  Y.,  and  had  one  son  whose 
name  was  ordinarily  called  "  Plin,"  but  in  reality  was 
probably  Pliny. 

Following  is  what  is  known  of  the  children  of  Jo- 
tham Bemus  : 

I.  CORPORAL  JOTHAM  BEMUS,  JR.,  remained  in  the 


322  Appendix   VII. 

army  until  1786,  serving  with  distinction  and  receiv- 
ing the  "  Badge  of  Merit."  In  1805  (Turner's  History 
of  the  Holland  Purchase,  page  460)  he  took  "articles" 
to  land  in  Western  New  York  in  township  8,  range 
7,  and  township  9,  range  7.  In  the  library  of  the 
Buffalo  Historical  Society,  in  the  letters  to  Joseph 
Ellicott,  agent  of  the  Holland  Land  company,  is  a 
manuscript  letter  from  him,  dated  May  4,  1806,  in 
which  he  says  he  "  has  surveyed  lot  44,  township  9, 
range  7,  and  is  building  on  lot  37,  township  9,  range  7." 
The  letter  is  No.  187,  Vol.  8,  B.  The  lots  mentioned 
were  situated  in  the  present  town  of  Hamburg,  Erie 
Co.,  near  Buffalo.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first 
grand  jury  west  of  the  Genesee  river,  which  was 
chosen  in  1803,  and  sat  in  the  court-house  just  com- 
pleted at  Batavia.  Rev.  S.  Hawley  Adams  has  the 
following  record  in  regard  to  Jotham  Bemus,  Jr.  : 
"  He  was  a  farmer  of  Erie  Co.,  N.  Y.  Married  Ase- 
nath  Andress.  He  was  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  died 
of  sickness  contracted  thereby.  He  had  four  daugh- 
ters :  Lydia,  Tryphena,  Annie  and  Sallie.  Annie 

married ,  and  lived  in  Buffalo." 

II.  WILLIAM  BEMUS,  the  second  son,  was  born  at 
Bemus's  Heights,  Feb.  25,  1762,  and  died  at  Bemus's 
Point  (town  of  Ellery,  Chaut.  Co.,  N.  Y.),  Jan.  20, 
1830,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age.  He  moved  from 
Bemus  Heights  to  Pittstown,  Rensselaer  Co.,  and  on 
Jan.  29,  1782,  was  married  to  Mary  Prendergast,  who 
was  born  at  Pawling,  Dutchess  Co.,  March  13,  1760, 
and  died  July  u,  1845.  Her  father  was  a  leader  in 


Jot  ham  Bemus,  of  B  emus  Heights.  323 

his  section,  and  for  his  patriotic  resistance  to  the  ob- 
noxious rent  laws  was  in  1766  condemned  to  death 
for  high  treason,  but  was  subsequently  pardoned  by 
the  king.  William  Bemus,  in  1805,  left  Pittstown 
with  his  own  and  his  father-in-law's  family,  and  jour- 
neyed to  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  but  came  back  to 
New  York  State  and  settled  on  the  shores  of  Chau- 
tauqua  lake,  at  Bemus's  Point,  March  9,  1806.  In 
1804,  according  to  Turner,  he  had  taken  articles  to 
land  in  township  2,  range  12,  the  site  on  which  he 
settled  in  1806.  He  evidently  visited  the  region  be- 
fore the  trip  south.  He  was  a  man  of  mark  in  the 
community,  of  high  character,  benevolent  instincts 
and  public  spirit.  He  wielded  large  influence.  He 
had  seven  children. 

The  descendants  of  William  Bemus  are  numerous 
in  Chautauqua  county,  and  are  people  of  influence 
and  standing  in  the  community. 

III.  JOHN  BEMUS,  the  third  son  of  Jotham  Bemus, 
Sen.,  was  born  on  the  Heights  farm  in  1763,  and  lived 
there  until  shortly  before  1829,  when  he  removed  to 
the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs,  where  he  died  Sept. 
8,  1829,  in  the  66th  year  of  his  age.      He  was  married, 
but  had  no  children.     He  was  quite  well-to-do  and  left 
half  his  property  to  his  sister  Sally  (Bemus)  Crawford. 
His  wife  died  some  years  before  his  own  death. 

IV.  SALLY,  the  fourth   child  of  Jotham  and  Try- 
phena  Moore  Bemus,  was  born  May  6,  1 768  ;  married 
Daniel    Crawford    of    Saratoga    Springs,   March  22, 
1789;  died  June  8,  1865,  at  Evansville,  Ind.,  buried 


324  Appendix   VII. 

at  Saratoga  Springs  beside  her  husband.  She  was  a 
women  of  great  vitality,  courage  and  energy,  and  was 
a  life-long  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Her  hus- 
band, Daniel  Crawford,  was  for  many  years  owner 
and  proprietor  of  "  Highland  Hall,"  situated  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  village  of  Saratoga  Springs. 
He  died  in  1839,  aged  75  years.  They  had  eight 
children. 

The  descendants  of  Jotham  Bemus  should  spell 
the  family  name  Bemus,  if  they  propose  to  follow 
the  orthography  undoubtedly  adopted  by  their  ances- 
tor. This  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  letters  from  Jot- 
ham  Bemus,  Jr.,  and  William  Bemus  can  be  seen  in 
the  Holland  Purchase  papers  above  referred  to,  in 
which  it  is  signed  in  that  manner.  This  spelling  we 
believe  is  now  coming  into  general  acceptance, 
though  in  the  past  the  spelling  has  been  extremely 
varied.  The  Massachusetts  family  adhere  to  the 
spelling  Bemts.  In  the  Calendar  of  Land  Papers 
spoken  of  it  is  given  as  Beem\*.  In  Justin  Winsor's 
Critical  History  of  the  U.  S.,  on  page  361  of  Vol. 
VI  it  is  given  as  Braemus.*  In  Spencer's  History 
of  the  U.  S.,  Vol.  II,  page  500,  it  is  given  Behmus. 
Hurd's  History  of  New  London  Co.  gives  the  name 
Bema^.  Ephraim  Bemz'^  was  a  soldier  at  Groton  in 
1765.  There  are  doubtless  many  other  forms  of 
spelling  the  name  to  be  found. 

*  This  spelling,  however,  is  merely  taken  from  Bur- 
goyne's  Map  in  his  "  State  of  the  Expedition  ; " 
though  Mr.  Winsor  says  nothing  of  this  fact. 


APPENDIX  VIII. 


GILES  B.  SLOCUM'S  LETTER.* 

TRENTON,  WAYNE  Co.,  MICH., 

October  10,  1877. 
William  L.  Stone,  Esq., 

MY  DEAR  SIR. —  I  take  great  pleasure  in  respond- 
ing to  your  request  that  I  should  write  you  some  of 
my  early  recollections  of  Schuylerville,  and  of  the 
celebration  which  occurred  in  that  village  in  1822. 
Brief  as  they  must  necessarily  be,  they  may,  perhaps, 
possess  some  degree  of  interest. 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  say  that  my  grand- 
father, Giles  Slocum,  was  well  acquainted  with 
Major-General  Schuyler  (whom  he  greatly  admired), 
as  he  first  rented  a  farm  and  afterwards  bought  it  of 

*  Giles  Bryan  Slocum,  who  died  on  Slocum's  Is- 
land, Mich.,  January  26,  1884,  was  born  in  Saratoga 
township,  N.  Y.,  July  n,  1808.  His  grandfather, 
Giles  Slocum,  was  of  Quaker  descent,  born  in  Rhode 
Island,  and  moved  at  an  early  date  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  one  of  the  few  escaped  sufferers  of  the  mass- 
acre of  Wyoming  in  1778,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolutionary  war.  Frances,  sister  of  Mr.  Slocum's 
grandfather,  then  five  years  old,  was  carried  off  by 


326  Appendix   VIII. 

that  general.  The  farm  is  now  owned  by  one, 
Lockro,  on  the  west  bank  of  Fish  creek  about  a  mile 
below  Stafford's  bridge.  On  this  spot  I  was  born  in 
1808,  but  my  father  moved  over  to  old  Saratoga  in 

Indians  at  that  time,  and  after  a  captivity  of  sixty 
years,  was  found  by  Colonel  Ewing  near  Logans- 
port,  Indiana.  Mr.  Giles  B.  Slocum  had,  in  early 
life,  the  advantages  afforded  by  the  common  schools 
and  taught  school  himself.  In  1830  he  farmed  on 
the  Au  Sable  river  in  northern  New  York,  and  came 
west  in  1831,  landing  at  Detroit.  After  prospecting 
in  the  interior  for  a  time  about  Black  river,  he  set- 
tled on  the  Maumee,  and  assisted  in  laying  out  Vis- 
tula, now  Toledo.  His  father  dying  in  1832,  he  re- 
turned east.  He  came  back  to  Michigan  in  1833 
and  spent  the  winter  in  the  stave  business  at  the  head 
of  Swan  creek,  now  Newport,  in  Monroe  county,  and 
succeeded  in  getting  the  steamers  "Jack  Downing," 
'*  Jackson  "  and  "  General  Brady,"  to  come  up  Swan 
creek  to  Newport  from  Lake  Erie.  In  1834  he 
paddled  a  canoe  down  Grand  river  from  Jackson  to 
Grand  Rapids.  In  1837  he  became  a  western  man. 
Among  other  purchases  were  three  miles  of  Detroit 
river  front,  where  for  the  following  fifteen  years  he 
turned  his  attention  to  wool  growing  and  became  one 
of  the  largest  growers  in  Michigan.  He  was  also  en- 
gaged in  building  docks  at  Detroit,  Windsor,  Tren- 
ton and  Sandwich.  In  1848,  he,  with  Mr.  Mears,  of 
Chicago,  purchased  large  tracts  of  pine  on  White 
river  and  laid  out  the  present  village  of  Whitehall, 
About  the  same  time  he  took  a  contract  to  build  two 
bridges  across  the  river  Rouge.  In  1838  Mr.  Slocum 
married  Sophia  Maria  Brigham  Truax,  daughter  of 


Giles  B.  Slocum  s  Letter.  327 

1814,  and  bought  the  place  now  owned  by  Hiram 
Cramer,  situated  about  two  miles  southwest  of 
Schuylerville.  This  was  the  same  farm,  in  fact,  on 

Col.  Abrahamson  C.  Truax,  of  the  village  of  Tren- 
ton. Three  children  were  born  to  them.  Elliott  T., 
and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nichols,  survive. 

He  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  the 
Republican  party  at  Jackson  in  1854,  and  was  ever  an 
influential  supporter  of  the  party.  In  1856  he  took 
an  active  interest  in  constructing  the  Detroit,  Mon- 
roe and  Toledo  railroad  and  was  one  of  its  first 
directors,  as  his  son,  Elliott  T.,  was  of  the  Chicago 
and  Canada  Southern.  In  1861  Mr.  Slocum  was  an 
earnest  supporter  of  the  government,  and  did  much 
to  put  regiments  in  the  field.  He  was  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Saratoga  Monument  Association,  of 
which  Horatio  Seymour  was  president.  His  son, 
Elliott  T.,  succeeded  him  as  such,  and  is  now  one  of 
the  trustees. 

Mr.  Slocum  was  a  self-dependent  man.  During 
the  financial  disasters  of  1837  he  met  all  his  engage- 
ments, which  were  many,  and  the  fortune  he  accumu- 
lated was  the  result  of  numerous  ventures  which 
were  conducted  with  care  and  clear  business  judg- 
ment. He  was  frank  and  bold  in  defending  and 
maintaining  his  opinions,  but  never  sought  to  force 
them  on  others.  His  honesty  was  never  questioned, 
and  he  created  in  others  unbounded  faith  and 
trust.  None  of  the  early  pioneers  of  this  section 
were  more  widely  known  throughout  the  State,  nor 
more  sincerely  respected  and  esteemed. 

His  son,  Hon.  Elliott  T.  Slocum,  has  reason  to 
be  proud  of  his  ancestry,  especially  as  he  is  of  Michi- 
gan birth  and  springs  from  a  line  which  suffered 


328  Appendix   VIII. 

which  resided  Major  Dunham  —  the  captor  of  the 
noted  tory,  Lovelace,  who  was  hung  as  a  spy  on 
the  hill  just  in  front  of  the  old  Schuyler  mansion. 

much,  not  only  to  make  his  native  State  what  it  is, 
but  on  the  paternal  side  to  contribute  blood  and 
treasures  in  the  struggle  for  American  independence. 
Elliott  T.  is  the  only  son  of  Giles  B.  Slocum  and 
Sophia  Maria  Brigham  Truax.  On  his  paternal  side 
he  can  go  back  ten  generations  to  Anthony  Slocum, 
who  is  recorded  as  one  of  the  forty-six  "  first  and 
ancient "  purchasers  of  the  territory  of  Cohannet, 
now  Massachusetts.  Next  came  Giles  Slocum,  the 
common  ancestor  of  all  the  Slocums,  whose  Ameri- 
can lineage  has  been  found  to  date  from  the  seven- 
teenth century.  He  was  born  in  Somersetshire, 
England,  and  settled  in  Portsmouth  township,  Rhode 
Island,  in  1638,  where  he  died  in  1682.  Then  followed 
respectively  the  generations  of  Samuel,  Giles,  Joseph, 
Jonathan,  Giles,  Jeremiah  and  Giles  B.,  the  father 
of  Elliott  T.  He  should  be  equally  proud  of  his  ma- 
ternal ancestor,  Col.  Abraham  Caleb  Truax,  who  at  the 
surrender  of  General  Hull,  refused  to  recognize  its 
terms,  escaped  through  the  lines  and  was  the  first 
who  communicated  with  Perry,  and  subsequently 
conveyed  the  intelligence  of  his  victory  to  the  resi- 
dent Americans  of  Detroit.  Elliott  T.  Slocum  was 
born  at  Trenton,  Wayne  county,  in  1839.  In  boy- 
hood he  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  his  companions, 
and  notwithstanding  the  pecuniary  circumstances  of 
his  family  were  better  than  most  of  his  associates, 
he  is  said  never  to  have  presumed  to  arrogate  more 
than  his  equal  rights  with  other  boys.  In  accord- 
ance with  his  own  inclinations  and  the  wishes  of  his 
parents,  he  prepared  for  a  college  course  and  grad- 


Giles  B.  S locum  s  Letter.  329 

The  remarkable  and  aged  Albert  Clements  at  that 
time  lived  on  the  adjoining  farm  to  ours,  and  he  is 
still  living,  adjoining,  but  about  a  mile  east  of  his 
former  residence. 

uated  at  Union  College,  Schenectady,  N.  Y.,  in  the 
class  of  1862.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Eliphalet  Nott,  then 
its  president,  signed  Mr.  Slocum's  diploma  confer- 
ring the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  which  was  one 
of  the  last  signed  by  that  celebrated  divine.  In  1869 
he  took  his  second  degree,  Master  of  Arts,  from  the 
University  of  Michigan.  After  graduating,  he  en- 
gaged with  his  father  in  looking  after  their  large 
lands  of  lumber  and  farming  interests,  meanwhile  as 
a  born  American,  taking  more  or  less  interest  in 
politics  and  in  familiarizing  himself  with  the  ques- 
tions relating  to  political  economy.  His  investiga- 
tions at  that  early  period  of  his  life  have  proved  of 
value  to  him  in  enabling  the  intelligent  exercise  of 
views  and  opinions  by  which  to  regulate  his  own,  as 
well  as  the  actions  of  others  in  matters  connected 
with  governmental  affairs.  In  1869,  he  was  elected 
State  senator  on  the  Republican  ticket  from  the 
Third  Senatorial  District,  which  was  strongly  Demo- 
cratic, and  served  with  honor  and  to  the  satisfaction 
of  his  constituency.  In  the  many  important  sena- 
torial contests  of  Michigan,  Mr.  Slocum  has  taken 
an  active  part,  and  from  them  as  from  other  public 
matters  in  which  he  has  likewise  taken  great  interest 
he  has  acquired  a  wide  personal  acquaintance.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  directors  of  the  Chicago  and 
Canada  Southern  railroad  and  was  assigned  the 
duty  of  procuring  for  it  the  right  of  way.  This 
difficult  undertaking  he  accomplished  without  sac- 
42 


330  Appendix  VIII, 

When  a  school  boy,  we  used  to  find  leaden  bullets 
on  Burgoyne's  Battle  Grounds,  of  which  we  made 
plummets  to  rule  our  writing-paper,  as  they  were  the 
softest  and  best  lead  to  be  had. 

About  fifty  years  ago,  there  was  a  big  celebration 
on  the  4th  of  July,  of  which  Ph.  Schuyler,  the 
grandson  of  Gen.  Schuyler,  was  the  leading  actor. 
The  extensive  tables  on  the  occasion  were  set  on 

rifice  to  the  public  or  the  railway  company.  In  1886, 
he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Park 
Commissioners  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  until 
recently  was  its  president,  where  he  did  excellent 
service,  proving  himself  a  most  competent  and 
faithful  member.  To  his  efforts  is  due  much  of  the 
beauty  and  development  of  the  Island  Park.  Mr. 
Slocum  made  two  trips  to  Europe,  where,  being 
naturally  attracted  by  the  wonderful  dykes  of  Hol- 
land, by  which  vasts  tracts  of  low  lands  have  been 
reclaimed  from  the  sea,  he  spent  some  time  in  study- 
ing the  methods  and  results  of  the  Dutch  engineers. 
The  knowledge  thus  gained,  together  with  a  careful 
study  of  the  parks  of  Europe,  came  into  useful  play 
in  the  smaller  field  of  Belle  Isle  Park. 

Those  who  know  Elliott  T.  Slocum  appreciate 
him  for  his  independence  of  thoughts  and  acts,  and 
the  frankness  with  which  he  presents  and  advocates 
his  views  without  demanding  that  others  should  en- 
dorse or  adopt  them.  He  succeeded  his  father  as 
trustee  of  the  Saratoga  Monument  Association  of 
New  York,  and  with  George  William  Curtis,  Hon. 
S.  S.  Cox,  Hon.  John  H.  Starin  and  others,  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  erection  of  one  of  the  finest 
monuments  in  the  world,  on  the  battle-field  of 


Giles  B.  Slocums  Letter.  331 

the  grounds  of  old  Fort  Hardy,  with  a  canopy  of 
evergreens  to  protect  the  guests  from  the  sun, 
although  the  oration  was  delivered  in  a  shady  grove 
on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  heights,  near  where 
the  Dutch  Reformed  church  now  stands,  by  the 
"  eloquent  but  unfortunate "  Rev.  Hooper  Cum- 
mings,  of  Albany,  at  that  time  a  brilliant  light  in 
the  American  pulpit,  but  destined  "  like  a  glowing 
meteor,  to  go  suddenly  down  in  darkness  and 
gloom."  I  well  remember,  also,  that  there  were 
about  a  dozen  old  revolutionary  soldiers  present, 
seated  in  a  row  on  a  bench  close  under  the  voice  and 
eye  of  the  orator  (so  that  they  could  the  better  hear 
and  see)  ;  and  that  when  the  speaker,  in  the  course 
of  his  remarks,  addressed  them  personally,  it  was  in 
such  glowing  terms  of  thankfulness  and  honor  for 
their  invaluable  services,  few  dry  eyes  could  have 
been  found  within  hearing  of  his  voice.  John 
Ward,  one  of  the  body  guard  of  General  Schuyler, 
and  who  was  carried  off  by  the  tory  Waltermeyer 
into  Canada,  when  the  latter  attempted  the  abduc- 

Burgoyne's  surrender  at  Schuylerville,  N.  Y.,  near 
the  home  of  his  father's  family, 

In  the  management  of  extensive  business  interests 
left  by  his  father  and  in  the  creation  and  develop- 
ment of  new  projects,  Mr.  Slocum  has  displayed 
good  judgment  and  has  been  uniformly  successful. 

He  was  married  July  30,  1872,  to  Charlotte  Gross, 
daughter  of  the  late  Ransom  E.  Wood,  an  old 
resident  and  wealthy  capitalist  of  Grand  Rapids. 


332  Appendix  VIII. 

tion  of  the  general  from  Albany,  was  among  those 
seated  on  the  bench. 

The  gathering  was  a  very  large  one,  the  people 
of  the  whole  county  being  nearly  all  there.  Briga- 
dier-General De  Ridder,  from  across  the  river,  a 
substantial  property  holder  and  a  general  in  the 
war  of  1812,  was  mounted  on  a  fine  horse  at  the 
head  of  a  large  troop  of  light  horse  (as  they  were 
then  called)  and  other  military  companies.  The 
"  soul  stirring  drum  and  ear  piercing  fife  "  were  the 
materials  in  that  day  in  the  way  of  music.  I  recall 
the  fact,  also,  that  the  breastworks  surrounding  the 
fort  were  nearly  perfect  at  that  time,  as  General  De 
Ridder,  at  the  head  of  the  military,  marched  around 
on  the  top  of  the  entrenchments.  Philip  Schuyler 
and  General  De  Ridder  were  the  great  personages 
of  that  day,  and  were  the  only  ones  who  came  to  the 
old  Dutch  Reformed  church  in  their  coaches. 

Two  years  ago,  I  visited  Schuylerville  with  my 
son.  I  then  looked  in  vain  for  the  first  vestige  of 
the  old  fort,  or  of  the  entrenchments  on  the  heights. 
I  recollect  the  old  Dutch  Reformed  church  situated 
about  half  a  mile  south  of  Schuylerville,  as  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Clements ;  and  in  my  childhood  was 
edified  by  hearing  each  Sunday  two  sermons  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Duryea.  The  building  was  enclosed,  but 
not  plastered,  and  was  used  by  the  British  in  the 
campaign.  I  was  well  acquainted  with  Philip  Schuy- 
ler, the  grandson  above  mentioned,  who  left  that  sec- 
tion of  the  country  in  1837.  I,  also,  left  the  same 


Giles  B.  Slocums  Letter.  333 

year  for  this  place,  where  I    have  resided  ever  since. 
I  came  here  for  the  first  time,  however,  in  1831. 

I  regret  very  much  that  I  cannot  attend  the  cele- 
bration at  Schuylerville  on  the  1 7th.  I  hope  it  will 
be  a  grand  success  and  insure  the  erection  of  a  monu- 
ment on  the  far  famed  "  heights  of  Saratoga " 
worthy  to  commenorate  the  great  event  of  American 
history. 

With  much  esteem, 

GILES  B.  SLOCUM. 


APPENDIX  IX. 


LETTERS   FROM    THE    EARL   OF   CARNARVON 
TO  THE   EDITOR. 

The  reasons  I  insert  these  letters  are,  ist,  because 
Lord  Carnarvon,  being  the  great-grandson  of  Lady 
Acland,  they  are  worthy  of  all  respect  in  a  work  of 
this  kind ;  and  2d,  as  they  not  only  correct  grave 
errors  which  have  crept  into  all  the  histories  of  this 
period,  but  show  the  lovely  character  of  Lady  Acland. 

PIXTON  PARK,  DULVERTON,  ) 
December  12,  1879.          * 

MY  DEAR  SIR. —  I  have  received,  and  am  very 
much  obliged  for  your  very  interesting  article  on 
Lady  H.  Acland.  She  was  a  lady  deserving,  I  fully 
believe,  of  all  the  praise  you  have  bestowed  upon 
her,  and  of  as  high  gifts  of  mind  as  she  was  graceful 
and  charming  in  person  and  manner.  There  is  at 
Killerton  a  very  striking  portrait  of  her  by  Sir  Joshua 
Reynolds,  of  which  I  have  the  copy  here.* 

*Lord  Carnarvon  subsequently  sent  me  a  photo- 
graph of  the  portrait  of  Lady  Acland  by  Reynolds 
here  mentioned  —  in  the  possession  of  Sir  Thos. 


Letters  from  the  Earl  of  Carnarvon.       335 

It  is,  however,  remarkable  that  in  this  place 
where  she  lived  so  much  and  where,  I  believe,  she 
died,  there  is  little  remaining  to  preserve  her  memory. 
I  am  now  engaged,  as  I  can  find  time  for  it,  in  look- 
ing over  old  family  correspondence  ;  and  if  I  can 
find  any  of  her  letters  which  would  be  of  interest 
to  you,  I  will  not  fail  to  send  to  you.  It  is  singular 
that  I  have  not  at  present  any  one  letter  that  I  could 
offer  for  your  acceptance. 

I  cannot  conclude  without  adding  how  much  the 
generous  letters  of  Gen.  Burgoyne  and  Gen.  Gates 
add  to  the  interest  of  the  narrative  which  you  have 
so  gracefully  put  together.  I  shall  very  much  value 
the  gift  which  you  have  been  good  enough  to  make 
me,  and  I  remain,  Sir, 

Your  obt.  servt., 

CARNARVON. 

W.  L.  Stone,  Esq. 

BERKLEY  SQUARE,   LONDON,  ) 
November  26,  1883.  J 

MY  DEAR  SIR. —  I  am  much  obliged  to  you  for 
your  letter  and  the  volume  on  Gen.  Burgoyne's 

Acland  of  Killerton  Park —  and  which  has  been  used 
in  the  alto  relievo  in  one  of  the  bronze  tablets  which 
adorn  the  interior  of  the  Saratoga  Monument.  Lord 
Carnarvon  died  in  1890  universally  lamented.  The 
Queen,  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  the  nobility,  as  well 
as  all  classes,  joined  in  paying  loving  tributes  to  his 
memory. 


336  Appendix  IX. 

Campaign  which  you  have  been  good  enough  to  send 
me.  It  is  to  me  particularly  interesting  where  it 
touches  upon  the  history  of  Lady  Harriet  Acland. 

In  the  event  of  a  future  edition,  I  would  beg  your 
attention  particularly  to  three  points  which  call  for 
correction  :  ist,  that  after  Col.  Acland's  death,  Lady 
Acland  was  out  of  her  mind  for  two  years ;  2d,  that 
she  married  Mr.  Brudenell ;  3d,  that  Col.  Acland 
met  his  death  in  the  duel,  not  by  any  wound  from 
his  adversary,  but  from  a  slip  which  threw  his  head 
against  a  stone  and  killed  him. 

These  three  statements  I  believe  to  be  absolutely 
without  any  foundation,  and  I  am  at  a  loss  to  under- 
stand how  the  myth  arose.  I  know  that  I  may  trust 
to  your  kindness,  as  far  as  lies  in  your  power,  to  cor- 
rect the  error. 

I  am  very  sorry  not  to  have  received  your  letter 
when  I  was  in  America.  Pray  believe  me  that  it 
would  have  given  me  very  much  pleasure  to  have 
seen  and  talked  with  you.  It  will  give  me  very- 
great  pleasure  to  procure  for  you  a  photograph  of 
Lady  Harriet  Acland  which  I  have,  and  believe  me, 

Yours  very  faithfully, 

CARNARVON. 


PIXTON  PARK,  DULVERTON.  ) 
9  April,  1885.  > 

MY  DEAR  MR.  STONE. —  You  asked  me  some  time 
since    for   an    autograph    of    Lady    H.    Acland.      I 


Letters  front  the  Earl  of  Carnarvon.       337 

could  not  then  find  one  that  I  cared  to  send  you  ; 
but  I  have  since  come  upon  a  volume  with  her  name 
in  it,  which  I  send  you  with  this  letter. 

I  do  not  have  it  bound  as  I  think  you  will  prefer 
to  have  it  exactly  as  she  left  it,  in  its  old  fashioned 
boards  and  with  the  leaves  doubtless  cut  by  her  own 
hand.  The  subject  of  the  book  is  characteristic  of 
her  [the  title  was  *'  Lectures  on  the  Gospel  of  St. 
Matthew,"  by  Rev.  Dr.  Porteus,  the  favorite  bishop 
of  London  of  George  IV],  for  she  was  a  very  re- 
ligious person  and  devoted  much  of  her  time  to  the 
religious  literature  of  the  day. 

It  will  give  me  very  great  pleasure  if  you  will 
accept  this  little  recollection  of  one  whom  I  honor  so 
much  and  whose  memory  it  rejoices  me  to  think  is 
cherished  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic. 

Believe  me,  my  dear  sir, 

Yours  very  faithfully, 

CARNARVON. 
43 


ERRATA. 


Paige  189,  3d  line  from  bottom,  for  "  Breyton " 
read  "  Breymann." 

Page  195,  1 3th  line  from  bottom,  for  "extracted" 
read  "  extricated." 

Page  195,  5th  line  from  bottom,  for  "covered" 
read  "  carried." 

Page  201,  I4th  line  from  top,  for  "Greek"  read 
"  Creek." 

Page  300,  9th  line  from  bottom,  for  "Samuel" 
read  "  Simon." 


INDEX 


ABERCROMBIE,  Gen.,  163. 
Acland,  Maj.,  28,  224. 
Acland,  Lady,  40,46,  126, 

172 

Adams,  Col.,  135,  194. 
Adams,  John  Q.,  157. 
Albany,  219,  248,  331. 
Anbury,   Lt,  57,  131. 
Anne,  Queen,  103. 
Anstruther,  Col.,  192. 
Anthony's  Kill,  64. 
Armstrong,  Gen.,  35. 
Arnold,  Gen.,  7,  18,  32,  35, 

68,   151,    163,    190,   228, 

265. 
Ayers,  Robt.,  206. 

BAILEY,  Gen.,  248. 
Balcarras,  Earl  of,  27, 127, 

135.  i56»  !95,  203. 
Ballston  Spa,  in,  232. 
Bancroft,  44,  258,  295. 
Baron  de  Tott,  230. 
Battenkill   Creek,    15,   27, 

175,  202,  249. 
Baum,  Col.,  14 
Bear  Swamp,  98. 


Bemus,   Jotham,   and    his 

descendants,  316. 
Bemus    Heights,    37,    66, 

115,  144,  164,  171,  222, 

257,320,322;  Point, 323. 
Bemus  Tavern,  164,  309. 
Bennington,    15,    70,    102, 

167. 

Biddle,  Capt.,  295. 
Bird,  Col.,  127. 
Bloody  Pond,  184. 
Boardman,  Sergeant,  245. 
Boswell,  Sir  Alex.,  235. 
Brant    (Thayendanegea), 

278. 
Brent,    Hon.    Rich.,    in, 

246. 
Breymann,  Col.,    14,    185, 

247,  287. 

Breymann's  Hill,  70,  314. 
Brickett,  Gen.,  254. 
Brooks,    Gov.,    33,     191, 

247. 

Brudenell,  Chaplain,  41. 
Brunswick  Journal,  48. 
Brunswick  Dragoons,    15. 
Bryan,  Alex.,  283. 


340 


Index. 


Buel,.Maj.,  a  guide,  no, 

142,  150,  237. 
Bullard,  Gen.  E.  F.,  7,  242, 

286. 
Burgoyne,    Gen,    13,    19, 

36,  59,  78,  92,  101,   119, 

125,  136,  143,  150,  1 60; 

map  of,  324,  348. 
Burgoyne,  Sir  John,  84. 
Burgoyne    Ballads,  9,  81, 

1 60,  1 70. 

CARLETON,  Gen.,  75. 
Carnarvon,  Earl,  126,  335. 
Chadwick,  Dr.  E.    227. 
Champlain,   Lake,    13,  79, 
^  104,  175. 

Charlottesville,  Va.,  161. 
Cilley,  Col.,  7,  144. 
Cilley,  Jonathan,  146,  155, 

169,  193. 
Clark,  Sir  Francis,  32,  113, 

117.  131,  185. 
Clinton,  Sir  Henry,  17,24, 

56,  1 12,  218,  222. 
Cochran,  Col.,  49. 
Cohoes  Falls,  63,  91. 
Colburn,  Col.,  135. 
Condon,  Michael,  106. 
Continentals,  The,  222. 
Convention   Troops,   2^0. 

r-  r- 

Lonway,  Gen.,  121. 
Cook,  Col.  Thaddeus,  1 28 
Cook,  Ransom,  206. 
(^ooke,  Joseph  G.,  154. 


Cornwallis,  Gen.  63. 
Cortlandt,  Gen.  Van,  143. 
Cross,  S.  O.,  278. 
Crown  Point,  13,  163. 
Cummings,  Rev.  Hooper, 


DEARBORN,  Gen.,  7,  30,  46, 

'55»  172,  243. 
D'Estaing,  Count,  164. 
DePeyster,  Gen.  J.  Watts, 

7,  70,  25  7,  criticised,  265; 

272,  277,  287. 
De  Ridder,  J.  H.,  300. 
De  Ridder,  Killian,  299. 
De  Ridder,  Simon,  300,332. 
De  Ridder,  Walter,  300. 
Dieskau,  Baron,  215. 
Dovogat's   House,  19,  43, 

201,  305. 

Draper,  Lyman  C.,  239. 
Durham,  Capt.,  285,  328. 
Dwight,     Theodore,      88, 

141. 

Dwight,  Theo.  W.,  106. 
Dwight,  Timothy,  105. 

EASTMAN'S  Life  of  Stark, 

,  130,  145- 
Eastman,  Hon.  Samuel  C., 

1  1. 

Ehlers,  M.  L.,  228. 
Elliott,  Hon.  Jno.,  134. 
English,    William     Alex., 

133- 


Index. 


FELLOWS,     Col.,    43,    52, 

179. 
Fish  Creek,  17,  43,  52,  72, 

107,  132,  174,  201,   213, 

250,  260,  326. 
Forbes,  Maj.,  193. 
Fort  Anne,  14,  136,  275. 
Fort  Edward,    14,    17,65, 

150,  164,  184,  218,   248, 

277. 

Fort  George,  52,  164. 
Fort  Hardy,  134,  204,  215. 
Fort  Independence,  164. 
Fort  Miller,  180,  259,  278, 

283. 

Fort  Neilson,  320. 
Fort  Stanwix,  18,  232. 
Fort  Ticonderoga,  13,  29, 

55-  79.  J35,  163- 
Fort  William  Henry,  184. 

Francis,  Col.,  135. 

Franklin,  10,  76. 

Fraser,    Gen.,    14,   19,   31, 

41,    no,    130,   143,   173, 
^198,  223. 
Freeman's   Farm,    25,  37, 

67,    116,    166,    191,  2ii, 

224. 
Furnival,  Col.,  248. 

GALL,  Gen.,  55. 

Gansevoort,  Gen.,  232. 

Gates,  Gen.,  10,  18,35,46, 
56,  62,  68,  78,  102,  116, 
121,  152,  159,  164,  285. 


George,  Lake,   14,  26,  56, 

164,  170. 

Germaine,  Lord,  137. 
Glover,   Gen.,  32,  49,  241, 
_  254,  296. 

Gordon,  quoted,  189,  221. 
Grant,  Gen.,  81. 
Graves,  Wm.,  146. 

HAINS,  Moses,  275. 
Half-Moon  Point,  63,  213. 
Hamilton,  Gen.,  14. 
Hanson,  H.  B.,  304. 
Hardy,  Gov.,  215. 
Hardin,  Lt.  Jno.,  285. 
Harnage,  Maj.,  39. 
Heath,  Gen.,  70. 
Hessians,     14,     158,    241, 

294.  3i5- 
Howe,  Lord,  163. 

Hoyt,  Gen.  E.,  182. 
Hubbardton,  130. 
Hudson    River,  7,    17,  77, 

107,  215,  229,  259. 
Hull,  Maj.,  194. 

JACK-BOOT,  Hessian,  15. 
Jackson's    Regiment,    33, 

190. 
Jefferson,    Randall's    Life 

of,  60. 
Johnson,    Sir  William, 

2'5- 
Johnson,    Sir    John,    228, 

278. 


342 


Index. 


K  ETC  HUM'S  Tavern,  197. 
King's  Mountain,  84. 
Kingsbridge,  157. 
Knapp,  Sam.  L.,  1 7. 
Knox,  Gen.,  182. 
Kosciusko's  Garden,  1 7. 

LANSING,    Mrs.   Abraham, 

233- 
Lansingburgh,  213. 

Lazell,  Sergeant,  245. 
Learned,  Gen.,  7,  28,  189, 

204. 

Lee,  Gen.  Robt.  E.,  81. 
Lee's  Memoirs,  119. 
Leggett,    Ebenezer,    133, 

i56,  193- 
Lester,  Chas.  S.,  154. 

Lester,  C.  C.,  154. 
Lester,  Willard,  154. 
Lincoln,  Gen.,  25,  38,  70, 

240,  248. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  228. 
Lossing,  quoted,  35,  92. 
Loudon,  Lord,  80. 
Lovelace,  Thos.,  76,  284. 

McCREA,  Jane,  170,  184. 
McCrea,  Col.  John,  319. 
McLane,  Lt.,  244. 
Madison,  Gov.,  61. 
Markham,    Clements    R., 

273- 

Markham,  J.  C.,  264,  273. 
Marshall,  Mrs.  Jane,  306. 


Marshall  House,  177,249. 

Marvin,  Hon.  Jas.  M.,  312. 

Mayhew,  Chas.  W.,  79, 
300. 

Mayhew,  Thomas,  300. 

Mersereau,  Wm.  S. ,  n. 

Millard,  Mrs.  Jane,  306. 

Millard,   Nelson,  307. 

Millard,  Ira,  307. 

Mohawk  River,  63,  87. 

Money,  Capt.,  136. 

Monmouth,  Battle  of,  145. 

Montgomery,  Gen.,  249. 

Mooers,  Benj.,  254. 

Morgan,  Col.,  7,  28,  49, 
in,  119,  136,  152,  185, 
208,  224,  240,  265. 

Moseley,  Col.,  249. 

Munchausen,   Baron,  230. 

Murphy,  "  Tim,"  7,  31,  246. 

NEILSON,  17,  92,  117,  158, 

.185. 
Nixon,  Gen.,  49,  204,  243. 

PATTERSON,  Capt.  Sher- 
man, 249. 

Patterson,  Gen.,  32. 

Philips,  Gen.,  13,  27,  47, 
124,  172,  237. 

Pond,  Daniel  B.,  1 1. 

Poor,  Gen.,  7,  28,  155. 

Potter,  Hon.  D.  SM  117. 

Porter,  Col.   Elisha,  251. 

Post,  Daniel  H.,  316. 


Index. 


343 


Pruyn,  Chancellor,  312. 
Pruyn,     Mrs.    J.    V.    L., 

312. 

Pullman,  Geo.   M  ,  314. 
Putnam,  Gen.  Israel,  231. 
Putnam,  Gen.  Rufus,  231. 

QUAKER  Springs,  N.Y.,  20. 
Quebec,  249. 

RIEDESEL,  Gen.,  14,  22, 
126,  173,  201,  225. 

Riedesel,  Madame,  146, 
173,  177,  225,  238,  305. 

Rivington's  Gazette,  163, 

193. 
Rochambeau,    Count    de, 

64. 

Rogers,  Gen.  Horatio,  10. 
Rogers,  Joseph,  156. 
Round  Rock,  98. 

SACK,   Registrator,  231. 

St.  Clair,  Gen.,  164. 

St.  Leger,  Col.,  13. 

Sandy  Hill,  N.  Y.,  143. 

Saratoga  Springs,  141, 
235.  270. 

Saratoga,  Old,  71,  100, 
149,  165,  175. 

Saratoga  Lake,  93,  97, 
262. 

Saratoga  Monument  As- 
sociation, 104,  117,  211, 
238,  327- 


Saratoga  Monument,  263, 

^  308,  330. 

Saratoga  Battle  Grounds, 
105,  236. 

Scammell,  Col.,  193. 

Schenectady,  100. 

Schuyler,  Gen.  Philip,  14, 
17,  23,  47,  60,  65,  73, 
86,  94,  149,  175,  212, 

217,  331- 

Schuyler,  John  Philip,  76, 
^  86,  100,  104,  332. 
Schuyler's  House  and 

Mills,  134,  216. 
Schuylerville,  N.  Y.,   1 74. 
Silliman,   Prof.,    1 10,    133, 

150. 
Simms,    Jeptha    R.,    246, 

284. 

Skeensborough      (VVhite- 
,  hall),  13. 
Skeene,  Col.,  287. 
Slade's  History,  289. 
Slocum,  Giles  B.,  313,  325. 
Slocum,  Elliott  T.,  327. 
Smith  (Taylor)  House,  93, 

115- 

Southerland,   Lt.-Col.,  43. 
Specht,  Col.,  30. 
Stafford's  Bridge,  94,  97. 
Starin,  Hon.  John  H  ,  104. 
Stark,  Gen.,  16,  76,  164. 
Stark,  Caleb,  163. 
Stevens,  B.  F.,  1 1. 
Stevens,  Col.,  163. 


344 


Index. 


Stillwater,  19,  63,  106,  115, 
151,  164,  283. 

Stiles,  Prest.,  105. 

Stone,  Col.  Wm.  L.,  quo- 
ted, 93,  141,  212,  214. 

Stone,  Wm.  L.,  2d,  126, 
256,  262. 

Stone,  Arthur  D.,  206. 

Stone,  Russell,  128. 

Stone,  T.  L.,  128. 

Squier,  Sergeant,  297. 

Strover,  Col.  George,  284. 

Sugar  Loaf  Hill,  163. 

Sword's  House,  19,  200. 

Sword,  Thos.,  200. 

TARLETON,  Col.,  123. 
Tenbroeck,  Gen,  32. 
Tory  Hill,  230. 
Trinity  Church,  N.  Y.,  200. 
Trumbull,  Col.,  Jno.,  163. 

UNITED  STATES  Flag,  His- 
tory of,  232. 

VAN  ALSTYNE,  Jacob,  284. 
Van     Rensselaer,     Eliza- 
beth, 86. 
Van  Schaick  Island,  17. 

WAKEFIELD,  Capt,  151. 
Walker  Homestead,    156. 


Walloomsac,  146. 
Waltermeyer,    the    Tory, 

331. 
Walworth,     Mrs.    E.    H., 

238,  285,  307,  311. 
Ward,  John,  331. 
Washington,  Gen.,  62,  1  20 

231,  281. 

Waterford,  N.  Y.,  162. 
Wayne,  Gen.,  163. 
Webster,  Daniel,  157. 
West,   Hon.  George,  314. 
Whipple,  Gen.,  296. 
Whitehall,  N.  Y.,  146,326. 
Wilbur's     Basin,     24,    92, 

125,  200. 
Wilkinson,  Gen.,  7,  27,  1  24, 

144,  190,  227,  240. 
Wilkes,  John,  73. 
Willard's  Mountain,    248. 
Willett,  Col.  Marinus,  233. 
Williams'  Rock,  184. 
Williams,  Maj.,  192, 
Wilson,   Gen.   Jas.  Grant, 

172. 
Woodworth,    Capt.    Eph- 

raim,  320. 
Wyoming    Massacre,    97, 


YANKEE  DOODLE,  80. 
Yates,  Col.,  230. 


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